Chaos creeps back in matatu industry leaving passengers at risk

Menacing knife-wielding gangs posing as touts have taken over some matatu stages along several routes in Mombasa County, as the chaotic scenes that characterised the industry before the 2004 famous Michuki rules slowly creep back.

The chaos in Mombasa has been exacerbated by the rapid growth of motorised rickshaws or tuk tuks and motorcycle taxis, commonly known as boda boda.

Mombasa Island alone has over 6,000 tuk tuks and an undetermined number of motorcycles, competing for the same commuters and narrow streets and alleys.

Congestion within the island especially assumes an industrial scale due to the fact that there is a housing boom on the small island, which has narrow streets and only two outlets on the Makupa Causeway and Nyali Bridge.

The other outlet is the Likoni Ferry crossing leading to Kwale.

Industry associations and commuters say gangs posing as touts operate freely despite the presence of police officers and officials from the Mombasa County Traffic Marshal patrolling the route.

“We have on several occasions reported to police about the gangs with knifes who have taken over some stages along the Bamburi-Town route but nothing seems to be done. They demand money from each matatu that picks a passenger,” said Matatu Welfare Association (MWA) Coast branch Chairman  Sammy Gitau.

Gitau said some touts were drug peddlers and addicts operating at the designated stages and endangering the lives and safety of passengers.

But passengers who spoke to The Standard alleged cartels work in cahoots with some matatu drivers and conductors to steal from commuters, mostly in the evenings.

Other stages invaded by this type of touts include Kisauni Mwisho, Tudor, Bombolulu, Migadini, Mikindani and Magongo Mwisho, according to the passengers we interviewed.

Kisauni OCPD Richard Ngatia said he had not received any complaint but in the past police had raided the area and arrested several youths thought to have been behind attacks on passengers.

“I’ve not received any complaint but I’ll talk to the Matatu Welfare Association chairman and we’ll deal with the matter,” said Ngatia.

Other than the matatu sector gangs, a spot check by The Standard also revealed that some 14-seater matatus plying the Bamburi, Tudor and Mtwapa routes play raunchy music videos on big screens mounted in the vehicles.

“During the rush hour (morning and evening) some matatus from Mombasa to either Mtwapa, Tudor or Bamburi routes carry secondary and college girls only,” said Jane Kioko, a trader.

“Other passengers are barred and they play obscene videos and the police know this, which begs the question, who owns these vehicles?” she posed.

A spot check by The Standard reveals that touting, speeding, picking passengers at undesignated areas and unroadworthy vehicles characterise the sector in Mombasa.

Safety belts

Investigations also revealed most vehicles lack safety belts while those available do not function. Speeding and general indiscipline among drivers and conductors were blamed on weak savings and credit co-operative societies (Saccos).

Five people hang dangerously on an overloaded and speeding matatu headed to Kisii town at Nyakoe. This matatu was spotted along Bartabwa route in Baringo County. (PHOTO: DENISH OCHEINGO, BONIFACE THUKU/ STANDARD)

MWA said some matatus bore stickers of non-existing Saccos or names of non-existent ones.

Matatu owners, however, defended themselves, saying some touts were conductors and drivers looking for jobs.

“It is true touting is against the law but those are our youths and they need something to eat. But even if they are arrested they are bailed out by politicians because they use them during elections,” said Matatu Owners Association (MOA) National Vice Chairman Ali Salim Batesi.

Mr Batesi, who is the association’s chairman in Mombasa, said the “2004 Michuki rules have been abandoned” and the matatus sector had gone back to chaos.

Mr Gitau said several unroadworthy vehicles were operating in Mombasa with fake labels of Saccos that does not exist.

He said the industry had sunk to the levels before the 2004 traffic rules and gangs were operating in most Mombasa stages freely.

During the rush hour, matatus plying the Bamburi-Mombasa CBD turn at mid-routes even after hiking fares from Sh50 to Sh70.

For instance, a matatu plying the Bamburi-Mtamboni-Ferry or Docks routes drops passengers at Kenol stage while matatus on the Bamburi-Kisauni–Ferry or Docks drop commuters at Stage Yap Aka or Mlaleo stage.

MOA, MWA and passengers concur that the multi-billion-shilling sector requires a ‘second clean-up’, adding that there is complacency on the part of the matatu Saccos to instil discipline among its members.

On the Mombasa-Mariakani, Likoni-Ukunda and Bamburi-Utange routes, unroadworthy PSVs have been allowed to be in operation as police look the other way.

Coast traffic police boss Martin Kariuki said the National Transport and Safety Authority was to blame given that most vehicles that could be classified as “unroadworthy have inspection stickers”.

“We arrest and prosecute offenders, but in a case where a matatu does not have a safety belt for instance or a speed governor and it has been declared as roadworthy and issued with a sticker, then NTSA is the right agency to ask questions,” said Mr Kariuki.

Meanwhile, even with a modern bus terminus built in Kisumu city, many public service vehicle (PSVs) operators still feel comfortable picking passengers at undesignated areas

This has increased traffic jams and restricted access to certain places.

For instance, matatus plying the Kakamega and Nyahera routes have spaces within the main bus terminus, but most drivers pick passengers right at the gate of Kisumu Girls High School.

Access to Jubilee market and Kenya Co-operative Creameries along the Kisumu-Nairobi road is an exercise in futility as vehicles plying Ahero, Awasi, Nyamasaria and Oyugis routes pick passengers there.

Along Ang’awa Street, matatus turn at the middle of the road at undesignated areas, and motorcyclists have been road crash victims as drivers jostle for passengers.