Two unlicensed matatus that are allegedly owned by the son of a senior government boss are wrecking traffic and business havoc within Nairobi. The matatus that mainly operate from the Nairobi Railways matatu stage have stirred anger amongst other matatu operators at the stage who have now vowed to go on strike on August 7 if they are not called to order.
The operators said in an interview with Royal Media Services’ Citizen Tv that the matatus owned by the son of the State boss have been violating every available traffic rule without a care since traffic officers are afraid of taking action against them.
An investigation by Citizen Tv revealed that indeed the matatus are registered under the name of the son of the senior government boss. However, the matatus are not registered under any matatu Sacco as stipulated by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
The two matatus are also not licensed to operate as public service vehicles. They do not have a Road Service License (RSL) or an inspection certificate.
The investigation by Citizen Tv also caught the unlicensed matatus on camera dropping and picking passengers at undesignated areas, and at one point reversing at a roundabout in front of a traffic officer who just stood watching helplessly.
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“There are some matatus here that are claimed to be ‘government vehicles’. The matatus have no Sacco name, they can even reverse at the roundabout as traffic officers stare. They are untouchable,” one operator said in an interview with the media station.
The operators lamented that whereas other matatus follow a lineup order when ferrying commuters from the stage towards the Ngong route, the two unlicensed matatus pop up at undesignated pickup areas within the stage, which is antagonizing other operators.
