Public transport reforms enter decisive phase

By Kenfrey Kiberenge

The intended phasing out of the 14-seater matatu (public taxi) is expected to finally take shape in 2012 as the country enters the second year without licensing the new minivans.

The Transport Licensing Board (TLB) has not been issuing new licences to the 14-seaters since

Passengers aboard a 14-seater matatu. [PICTURE: REUTERS]

January 2011, although those that were in business before the policy came into effect have had their operating permits renewed upon inspection.

The move is aimed at decongesting the roads by having higher capacity Public Service Vehicles (PSV) replacing the small ones.

Speaking in Parliament on December 1, Transport Minister Amos Kimunya summed it thus: "For every 14-seater vehicle that would have come on the road to carry 42 passengers, we now have one vehicle instead of three vehicles."

The minister further argued that only vehicles with high occupancy were coming onto the roads and therefore every space occupied by one vehicle is released for other road users.

This week, Transport Permanent Secretary Cyrus Njiru confirmed no new licences have been issued to the 14-seaters since January, saying only the existing ones had their licences renewed.

"We have seen new big buses being brought onto our roads to share the work with the existing 14-seaters but which will progressively pave way for the higher capacity PSVs," said Njiru.

The policy was gazetted in December 2010 but took effect in January. It is intended to progressively wipe out the small vans from the PSV business.

Low business

But Matatu Welfare Association chairman Dickson Mbugua says 14-seaters matatus ‘are here to stay’ as the high capacity vehicles would find it unviable to operate in some areas.

"There will be a vacuum in these areas when the big matatus run away because of low business," Mr Mbugua said.

He says his association has been exerting pressure on the ministries of Transport and Local Government to come up with a strategy that will see some 14-seaters remain in business in some areas.

"For the populations in the rural population and those in small towns, the 14-seaters will forever remain useful," said the chairman.

Matatu Owners Association Simon Kimutai also said some matatus should be allowed to operate in some areas, albeit on a need basis.

He, however, noted that the ministry has agreed to some exceptions for the low capacity PSVs to operate. Both Mr Kimutai and Mbugua said the buses have started filling the void left by low capacity matatus that have ceased operations in major towns.

However, for Mbugua, this transition has left a gap, as the number of new buses is not corresponding with that of 14-seaters whose licences have expired and may not be renewed.

"I can tell you for sure that in Nairobi for instance where we have 16,000 PSVs, the combined number of new buses is now 3,000," said Mbugua.

Kimutai, on his part, raised concern the vacuum left by the 14-seaters in the rural areas was now being filled by "Proboxes" masquerading as taxis.

He also said the higher capacity buses are yet to start offering inter-city or inter-town services.

"We still have the small vehicles being used by passengers moving from one town to another; instead, they prefer CBD to estates within a given town," he said.

Last month, some legislstors took Kimunya to task in Parliament over the new policy, saying up to 60,000 youths were likely to lose their jobs.

Juja MP William Kabogo posed: "Is the minister aware the directive is already negatively impacting on the livelihoods of more than 60,000 young persons, who are directly employed in the sector?"

But the minister dismissed the assertion as untrue.

"We have 22,000 14-seater matatus out of the 79,000 PSVs. Typically, a 14-seater matatu creates employment for a driver and a conductor.

So the maximum number of people directly employed by those vehicles will be 44,000," Mr Kimunya said.

22,000 matatus

He added that the 22,000 matatus were still on the road but would be phased out progressively.

"We have not removed them from the road. All we have said is that we shall not increase the number of 14-seaters matatus on our roads. We shall only increase the number of higher occupancy vehicles.

So, nobody has been declared redundant as a result of this directive," said Kimunya.

The decision to phase out the 14-seaters was mooted following evaluational measures to decongest the roads and to bring order to the sector including improvement on passenger safety and conflict.

The idea was further subjected to consultations with public service transport operators during a stakeholders’ conference held at the Bomas of Kenya on October 19, 2010.

At the conference, one of the proposals was the need and the modalities to phase out low capacity PSVs in order to reduce congestion on the Kenyan roads especially within the city and the urban areas.

The conference was attended by the registered transport associations including the various matatu branches from across the country. It was coordinated by the Ministry of Transport through the National Road and Safety Council, which include the matatu owners, bus owners, drivers and operators who all sit in the Council.

Kimutai endorsed the intended changes, saying they would herald fewer accidents and bring back sanity onto the Kenyan roads. This year alone, over 3,200 people have lost their lives in accidents caused mainly by human error.

"Because one bus will cost an investor roughly Sh4 million then we are likely to have owners seriously opting for other businesses," he said.

Sacco funding

But for Mbugua, the high cost of buying the new matatus might cause a vacuum since the envisioned sacco funding will highly depend on their size and financial muscle.

Kimunya said the ministry would stick to the policy, as it is viable. "I have no intention of considering rescinding this decision because it was arrived at by the stakeholders and we are convinced the passengers and the industry players can benefit from it.