Matatu strike: MPs blame Evans Kidero for “arbitrarily increasing” parking fees

BY WILFRED AYAGA

NAIROBI, KENYA: The National Assembly and the Senate Wednesday held emergency sessions to discuss the matatu strike in the city.

The outraged members of the two Houses met in their respective chambers and questioned the process through which the Nairobi City Government raised the parking fees in the city.

Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko asked the Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki to explain the chaos in the city. The senator asked his boss in the Jubilee coalition to find out from the city governor Evans Kidero why there was an “arbitrary increase” in the parking fee.

He also sought to know why the county government had deployed untrained traffic marshals to man the traffic in the city.

Like their colleagues in the Senate, the MPs in the National Assembly also warned that if the chaos goes on unchecked, then the economy of the city will be paralysed.

Mr Kimani Ichungwa (Kikuyu MP) moved the motion to discuss the crisis that saw public service operators in the city down their tools over a decision by the Nairobi City County to increase parking fee for vehicles moving into the Central Business District.

Ichungwa accused the county authorities of being interested in raising revenue at the expense of the city’ economy.

“The governors have no other interest other than to raise revenue. They are only interested in raising revenue that they cannot account for. The increase in parking fee is prejudicial to the country’s economic interests,” said Ichungwa.

The matatu operators went on strike after accusing Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero of reneging on agreement in which the county government had agreed to lower the parking fee for 14-seater matatus from Sh5,000 to Sh3,650 during this month.

The Nairobi Metropolitan Union, which represents the operators, also claimed that the city authorities reneged on an agreement to lower the fee for 41 seater matatus from sh8,000 to 5,500.

Kibra MP Ken Okoth defended Nairobi Governor, Evans Kidero from accusations that he had failed to engage transport stakeholders before the strike

“We cannot allow anarchy to reign. We cannot deny the county assembly of Nairobi the right to raise revenue. What we saw was an attempt to ground city operations. The governor should not be intimidated by anarchists and extortionists,” he said.

Kidero had come under fire from a group of MPs who accused him of allowing the matter to get out of control.

Makadara MP, Benson Mutura said that the governor had failed to rein in the situation.

“The governor is full of himself. This is not the way to run the city. This is the beginning of more anarchy in the city,” he said.

Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi said that the collapse of the Kenya Bus Transport service in the early 1990’s had given a free reign to matatu cartels to control the industry.

“Some people conspired to kill the bus service and left the people of Nairobi to suffer,” he claimed.

Othaya MP Mary Wambui told the House that a number of people who had sought medical services within the city could not reach medical facilities due to the strike.

“I know of a person who was in a comma and the ambulance could not get him to hospital since the roads had been blocked by the striking matatu operators,” she said.