Matatu operators decry state's silence as boda-boda riders torch vehicles

Curious onlookers mill around the shell of a matatu that was set ablaze by boda boda operators after it hit a rider along Thika Super highway, Nairobi. [File, Standard]

Matatu operators countrywide have threatened to withdraw their services on February 2, 2026, over rising cases of boda-boda riders torching vehicles involved in accidents.

The operators under the Matatu Owners Association who spoke on Tuesday also accused the government of turning a deaf ear on their pleas to tame rogue boda-boda operators. 

They said cases of riders torching matatus, trucks and private vehicles escalated last year, forcing them to reach out to National Transport and Safety Authority, Transport and Interior Cabinet Secretaries Davis Chirchir and Kipchumba Murkomen but none have responded.

"We have written to the Minister for Transport, but nothing is happening that is why we have decided from Monday, we are going to remove our vehicles from roads all over the country," Karakacha said 

"We are going to withdraw all our vehicles from business because the government is supposed to protect our business. But there is no protection," he added.

Since January 2026, the operators said at least nine vehicles have been torched by the boda-boda riders in various parts of the country, but none has been arrested.

They said they may be forced to form a rival group of young men to face off with the boda-boda riders unless President Ruto addresses the menace.

"The only person we are going to listen to is the President because these other people have failed. The police have failed, NTSA and even the CS himself, has failed," said Karakacha 

"Since the CS came to office, he has never met the Matatu Owners Association. We have been trying to talk to him but there is no response,” he added

Motorist Association of Kenya chairperson Peter Murima said some of the operators whose vehicles were torched have been left without other means of livelihood because some insurance companies don't pay or take a long time to compensate.

"Right now many of them are in hospital battling depression and others, their families have broken because the insurance are not paying us," Murima said 

Intercorridor Mobility chairman Joseph Kagai, said the situation is getting out of hand, yet the matatu sector pays taxes on daily basis through fuel levy and other areas.

"From Monday we will make sure all major towns and cities and roundabouts in the country will not be passable until the government addresses our concerns. We have not seen any arrests," Kagai said

He warned that if the matter is not addressed, they will be forced to find a way of dealing with the same, including recruiting youths to guard their vehicles.

"If the government is not able to protect us, all the vehicles on the road would stop and deal with the riders, we have youths who reformed and joined Saccos but if things get out of hand, we will bring them back," he added.