On November 21, 2018, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said about 40,000 traffic offenders had been arrested since the government began a crackdown on non-compliant vehicles.
He said the arrests covered public service vehicle operators, private motorists and people found ferrying contraband goods. Matiang’i made the remarks during a meeting with public transport stakeholders at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
The Interior CS said the transport crisis could not be pinned on one side alone. In his view, police officers, regulators, operators and other players all had a role in the disorder that has continued to plague the sector.
“We ask Kenyans to report police found taking bribes. Let them also inform us of the regulatory agencies that are not doing the right thing,” Matiang'i said.
Interior PS Karanja Kibicho told the meeting that 3,000 deaths had been reported that year on Kenyan roads, with most of the fatalities involving public service vehicles.
Transport officials also used the forum to defend the crackdown and press their own concerns. Transport counterpart Esther Koimet said boda boda riders were responsible for many crashes because they ignored traffic rules, while also accusing police of taking bribes instead of arresting drivers of unroadworthy vehicles.
Transport CS James Macharia said the government would listen to stakeholders in order to protect investors in the sector.
PSV operators, for their part, accused police of extortion and said the market had been flooded with fake spare parts that undermined safety. They also said state agencies had failed to clear contraband from the market.
“There are many fake spare parts in this country. Unscrupulous traders buy fake accessories in China, Taiwan and other places. Safety is not only about the roads," Wilson Kimani, who represented the matatus' welfare, said.
Those present included Interior CAS Patrick Ntutu, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet, DIG Edward Mbugua and NTSA boss Francis Meja. Officials from the Insurance Regulatory Authority, Matatu Owners Association and Matatu Welfare Association also attended.
