The general perception about the matatu (public minivan) business is that it is, indeed, like any other, with only one difference: its operators seem to have their own rules which are markedly different from those observed by other businesses.

Nobody can deny the importance of the contribution made by matatus to the economy. In fact, attempts to remove the 14-seater passenger vehicles from the roads have been stillborn, for the simple reason that no viable alternative has been found.

Not only is the matatu 'industry' powerful on its own right, it is also an employer of note in the economy, for it keeps thousands of drivers and conductors occupied, and millions of Kenyans on the move.

That is why it would be important for the government to listen to what the industry's leaders have to say and thus avoid ugly situations like the one that looms next Monday.

This is the day that matatu organisations have resolved to call a strike which will not only inconvenience millions of ordinary travellers, but also thousands of children who go back to school after the December holidays.

The operators are advancing various reasons why they want to take this action, some of them nebulous, while others have a solid basis. They have chosen their time well when everyone will feel the pinch, which is why their demands need to be studied, and those with substance addressed forthwith.

It is a fact that matatu operators are too often at the mercy of gluttonous traffic police officers who take a cut of their earnings through threats practically every day.

It is also a fact that the sporadic "crackdowns" are usually an excuse for the extortionists to raise their demands outrageously. These are issues that are difficult, but not impossible, to deal with.

However, if the operators want to strike because they have been ordered to use speed governors or to reduce the noise levels in their vehicles, then they don't have a case at all, and few of their passengers will sympathise with them.