Drive rogue matatu crews off highways and byways

The death of a banker who was pushed out of a moving matatu should serve as a wake-up call for authorities to deal ruthlessly with rogue players in the transport industry. Judy Wanjiku, 26, died after she was reportedly thrown out of the matatu by a conductor in Juja, Kiambu County on Saturday.

That was not the first such case. A year ago, Gerald Kimondo died after he was thrown out of a bus in Githurai. The driver, Naftally Kalama Fondo and his conductor Alex Macau Gikonyo, were later charged with murder.

In July 2019, Joseph Muasya and John Nduai, a driver and his conductor, were charged with the murder of Florence Wanjiru, 28, who was thrown out of a moving bus in the city. In October last year, Austin Alero Chiteyi was charged with robbing Leonard Thiong'o of Sh16,530 and a phone after throwing him off a bus.

While the court is yet to decide on the innocence or guilt of the men accused of committing these shocking crimes, there is no doubt that the matatu industry is rotten. Most matatu crews operate as if there is no law in this country. They ignore traffic rules and drive dangerously and at speeds that indicate they do not have or have tampered with  mandatory speed governors. In addition, they are disrespectful to passengers and other road users and do not hesitate to hurl insults at them.

Matatu saccos and the police should work jointly to get rid of the rotten apples in this industry. Vetting of crews must be thorough and only those with zero criminal records should be allowed on our roads. It would be advisable to get rid of those that customers complain most about. Complaints by passengers must be taken seriously and passengers too should develop a culture of reporting misbehaving crews, even over minor incidents. That will make drivers and conductors think twice before misbehaving. When passengers remain silent and the authorities fail to take action, they are encourage to think and act as if they are above the law.