• The operators argue that the speed governors are not about road safety but deliberately designed as a cash cow by suppliers of the gadgets
• They say the substandard speed governors were approved by both NTSA and the Kenya Bureau of Standards
Image: John Kamau
The implementation of the new generation speed governors from October 1 will cost Mt Kenya matatu owners Sh6.8 billion, an amount they say they cannot afford.
They, through their Mount Kenya Matatu Owners Association, have threatened to go to court to stop the government from demanding that they kit their vehicles with the new speed gadgets.
Members of the MKMOA operate more than 10,000 vehicles. They accuse the Ministry of Transport and the National Transport Safety Authority of not consulting them before implementing the new policy.
They have written to Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and his Interior counterpart Fred Matiang’i seeking an explanation of how or why the current governors have failed.
Matiang'i is also in charge of the Coordination of National Government.
In the letter signed by the association chairman Michael Kariuki, the operators argue that the entire exercise is not about road safety but designed to be a cash cow by speed governors suppliers.
Kariuki, during the organisation's meeting in Thika town on Wednesday, said the suppliers are the same people who endorsed, approved and imported the current ‘tamper-proof’ speed governors in 2014.
“They brought us defective or substandard speed governors which were approved by both NTSA and Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs). Now they are forcing us to replace them with new ones.
"This is no longer about road safety but a business ran by cartels out to mint billions from the PSVs, goods carrying vehicles (GCVs) and Tourist Service Vehicles (TSVs),” Kariuki said.
He said they law-abiding citizens against exploitation by some cartels that control the speed governors business. "We are not ready to be fleeced again.”
The new generation speed governor is expected to transmit speed and vehicle position coordinates every five seconds to the NTSA the suppliers’ servers in foreign countries.
The suppliers will track all PSVs, GCVs and TSVs every minute and report any violations to the traffic police, NTSA or NaMATA.
The matatu owners doubt that the security agencies have analysed the new system to ensure that the data generated cannot be accessed by an illegal group to sabotage or organise attacks on Kenya's public transport system.
“The data can be accessed by illegal or terrorist groups as well as rogue speed governor suppliers for illegal purposes. Again rogue enforcement officers can use the data to extort money from operators,” Kariuki said.
They said those with functional speed governors must be compensated by the state as they have lost a lot of money fitting and maintaining them.
Kariuki said they have been grappling with serious issues in the PSV sector including corruption, high cost of NTSA compliance, county levies and licences and a high taxation regime.
They also pay high insurance premiums and extortion gangs. "Now the government is on our neck again," the MKMOA chairman said.
Vice-chairman John Kiarie said the government should pay for the new speed governors.
“We are not ready to lose more billions of shillings,” Kiarie said.
Bus operators representative Stanley Kimani said many investors might abandon the industry due to high operating costs.
“We risk being auctioned by money lenders. The government should consider the amount of money we generate in terms of revenue and cease further oppression,” Kiarie said.