Several matatu associations announced that they were walking out of the Matatu Owners Association (MOA), setting up a fresh confrontation in the sector over representation, enforcement and alleged corruption.
The breakaway was fronted by Calvin Nyaure, chair of Matatus and Sacco Companies, who said the umbrella body had not properly advanced the interests of operators. He argued that MOA had taken sides in the ongoing enforcement of the so-called Michuki traffic rules and had failed to protect members from what he described as harassment by police.
Among the groups that said they had withdrawn their membership were the Matatu Welfare Association (MWA), Matatu Travellers Vehicles Association (MTVA), Mount Kenya Association (MA), Association of Bus Operators Kenya (ABK) and Association of Matatu Operators (AMO).
“We have decided to denounce our membership to MOA because we feel it has failed to defend us against the harassment that matatu operators in Nairobi have undergone since the crackdown by police officers enforcing Michuki traffic rules began,” said Mr Nyaure at a press conference in Nairobi.
He also accused MOA chair Simon Kimutai and MWA head Dickson Mbugua of belonging to what he called cartels in the matatu business. In the same remarks, he claimed some MOA officials did not even own matatus and alleged that they were cooperating with NTSA to swindle operators of money, a matter he said had already been reported to anticorruption agencies.
“We can’t sit back and watch us our members suffer because of individual interests of MOA officials, some of whom don’t even own a matatu.
“We know how they are cooperating with NTSA to swindle us our money, an issue we have raised with anticorruption agencies but nothing is being done,” added Mr Nyaure.
Lucy Wachuka, a nominated member of the Kajiado County assembly and chair of Serian Sacco, said operators who had complied with the rules were still being targeted. She said police were using a different checklist, arresting conductors and drivers over minor issues and confiscating number plates in a bid to extract bribes.
The operators also raised alarm over a government plan they said would phase out 14, 25 and 33-seater matatus and replace them with BRT buses. They warned that if the proposal is fully implemented, it could worsen unemployment in the country.
What the dispute means ¶
The withdrawal leaves MOA under pressure from a section of operators who say the body no longer speaks for them. It also deepens the row over the enforcement of Michuki rules, police conduct and the future of smaller matatus in Nairobi and beyond.
