As was largely anticipated, ordinary Kenyans were Monday forced to walk long distances and pay high fares after public transport operators withdrew most of their vehicles from the roads to protest reintroduction of “Michuki” rules.
The government, which has been breathing fire over strict enforcement of the rules the past two weeks, does not have any alternative, having surrendered the public transport sector to a ruthless cartel decades ago.
Under the circumstances, the matatu operators, long used to being left to their own devices, were bound to flex muscles with the intention of precipitating public outcry to hopefully, preserve the status quo. Lest we forget, the government did not go slow on the stringent regulations on its volition.
When they were passed 15 years ago, the regulations which, among other things, require public service vehicles to fit speed limiters and have safety belts, were meant to serve the best interest of commuters.
The weak position of the State meant that attempts to reintroduce Michuki rules was always going to hurt ordinary Kenyans while unwittingly rewarding the law-breaking cartels.
The State’s position is particularly weakened by the fact that the last 10 years, it has been talking of building a modern commuter train transport system in major towns without doing anything on the ground.
The commuter train system inherited from the colonists is in shambles. That makes a sham out of the directive issued yesterday by the Transport ministry, asking the Kenya Railways Corporation to increase train frequency and slash fares by 10 percent.
Clearly, public transport is so important a segment to be entrusted to a profiteering cartel and conniving police officers. Both the national and county governments need to have more than a casual interest in public transport.
Forcing the matatus to transform individual businesses into saccos has to a large extent failed to tame the cartel that has infiltrated the sector. The State must craft a policy framework that encourages public limited firms to invest in commuter transport service.
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