Nairobi — The Matatu Owners Association has faulted the government for initiating a countrywide traffic crackdown following increased accidents.
Speaking during a press conference Wednesday, the association's chairman Albert Karakacha stated that the recent incidents involved school buses and lorries, not matatus.
"We are not going to allow NTSA on our roads and this thing of NTSA dealing with individuals, we want them to stop immediately so that we can deal with the saccos," he asserted.
He further stated that the crackdown will promote corruption, and pointed out that they are open for dialogue to discuss sustainable solutions.
"We ask the government to engage in joint discussions with us to develop comprehensive and long-term solutions," he said.
He has urged Transport Cabinet Secretary to regulate NTSA to ensure the industry runs smoothly.
"I think the accidents in the matatu sector are not alarming compared to lories and school transport," Karakacha underscored.
He further lauded National Youth Service trainees for being good drivers due to the length of their training and expressed the association's interest in having 80 percent of drivers being from NYS.
"We urge the president to mention that 80 % of drivers are supposed to come from NYS, we are ready to collaborate with the government to see that it is happening." Karakacha mentioned.
He prompted the police and base commanders to make sure they enforce law and order on the roads in order to achieve sanity on the roads.
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According to the association, they have been holding clinics for matatu drivers and members whereby NTSA and traffic police get to check matatus roadworthiness as well as educating them on various measures for road safety which acts as a measure to reduce road accidents.
"We are doing clinics in the whole country, we are working very closely with traffic and NTSA, WE HAD CLINICS IN Meru, Nyeri, Makongeni, Nyayo stadium and another one will be held tomorrow in lower Kabete police station," he stated.
Recently, that has been an increase in road accidents with the most recent involving a Kenyatta University bus along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway that took away lives of eleven students from the school of Public Health with forty-two others nursing injuries.
Just a day before this unfortunate occurrence, another accident occurred in Bomet following a collision between a public service vehicle and a tractor.
Five people died while 18 others sustained injuries in this incident.
