Public transport players want President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene so that they are assured of access to the Nairobi Central Business District.
The matatu owners from the Mount Kenya region said the soon to be introduced Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system will adversely affect them.
They asked the Head of State to stop the implementation of BRT as it will push them out of business.
The complainants are from Nyandarua, Nyeri, Laikipia, Tharaka Nithi, Meru, Embu, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Nairobi, Kajiado and Machakos.
The investors said the BRT system is skewed and designed by unscrupulous individuals out to make a killing from it.
They were speaking at Ruiru stadium on Saturday. Their patron is Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu .
Waititu claimed that the officials fronting the BRT do not own public service vehicles. He said it was unfortunate that matatu owners were left out of the decision to bring in the high capacity buses.
“The move to introduce these buses will render over one million Kenyans who depend on the transport industry jobless. The BRT is not an emergency and should not be treated as such,” the governor said.
He feared that the properties of those who have invested in the industry mght be auctioned by banks over unpaid loans.
The patron insisted that all PSV owners must be included in making policies that affect them.
He said he will initiate talks with the President and the Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia to have the actualisation of the BRT system postponed until all parties are well fully consulted.
“We will be meeting with the CS together with matatu owners’ representatives from Mt Kenya and the BRT affected counties later this month to chart the way forward on this matter,” Waititu said.
He also said that nobody has the right to bar the 14-seater matatus from accessing Nairobi’s CBD, arguing that as the country’s capital every Kenyan should have unfettered access to it.
“You cannot wake up and tell people all of a sudden that they cannot access the CBD. Matatus will operate from there and no one will stop us.”
Nairobi governor Mike Sonko had last month barred all matatus from accessing the city centre to decongest the city.
The ban caused unprecedented suffering to commuters, forcing the city governor to suspend the order “to allow more consultations” with other transport stakeholders.
Mwaniki Gichere, who represented Laikipia, Nyeri and Nyandarua counties told President Kenyatta to “return the favour” and address their plight as matatu operators played a big role in his re-election.
“During voter registration which was a major concern for our President, we ferried people for free to their respective areas as well as during the election day to ensure that Uhuru got his second term. We plead with him to remember our contribution and end the tribulations facing us,” Mwaniki said.
Mary Mwangi of Nairobi told the government to ensure the involvement of all transport industry players in policy making. She said some policies made in their absence are the reason for corruption in the industry.
“We want to be recognised as real investors and be involved in policy making,” Mwangi said.
Players in the digital taxi services also called on the government to include them in decision-making as they too will be affected by the reforms.
Drivers and Partners Association of Kenya (DPAK), owners of the BebaBeba online Taxi App, Chairman Simon Njuguna said that they too should be given a chance to give their opinion on the reforms being undertaken.
The investors also urged the state to ensure that they become owners of some of the High-capacity buses that will be introduced in the system once an accord is reached with the players.
“We also have the capacity to purchase these buses. We should be given an opportunity to invest in the BRT system,” said Peter Chiragu from Kajiado.
Earlier this month , Transport CS James Macharia announced that the first batch of 64 buses purchased from South Africa at a cost of sh 25 million each will arrive in the country later in the month despite opposition from local assemblers.
The ministry said that local fabricators of passenger service vehicle bodies failed to meet the required specifications.
The buses are to be deployed on the already-marked Thika Super Highway and other major roads within the capital Nairobi.