Criminals have infiltrated the tuk-tuk business in Mombasa, giving even genuine operators a bad name.
The criminals masquerade as tuk-tuk operators and end up robbing unsuspecting passengers.
In other instances, tuk-tuks are used to transport stolen items, crude weapons like machetes which are used to attack people especially in Likoni subcounty, and drugs.
And this is made easier by the fact that the majority of about 17,000 tuk-tuks operating in the city are unregistered.
Mombasa County Tuk-tuk Organisation chairman Benjamin Ochwango said out of the huge number only about 3,000 are registered under umbrella bodies.
There are 30 different associations across all levels, from the stage level to the sub-county and county levels.
The concerns prompted a meeting between security officials, tut-kuk owners, operators, the Mombasa county government and National Transport and Safety Authority personnel on Tuesday.
Mombasa County Commissioner Abdirisack Jaldesa said the meeting resolved that all tuk-tuk owners and operators be registered within one month under an umbrella body.
“We want to remove all criminals from the tuk-tuk sector,” Jaldesa said.
“We want to operate under the law. Nobody should be harassed and all should do the right thing.”
Ochwango said many of the tuk-tuk operators do not have licenses, especially those who are ‘subcontracted’ by the operators contracted by owners.
“When these cause accidents, they simply run away leaving the tuk-tuks at the accident scene,” Ochwango said.
This heaps problems on the owners, who are then caught up in a matter they may not be aware of.
Police officers at the meeting advised tuk-tuk owners to have records and identification documents of the drivers they employ.
“So that when an accident occurs and the driver escapes, the owner can produce the identification records of the driver. Otherwise, I will go for the owner whom I will take to court for a mistake of their driver,” said a police officer only identified as Kimani.
NTSA officers said under the new regulations, License A3 is for tuk-tuks.
“It is unlike before, when we had the FG licenses which covered multiple vehicles. Now, there is a license for every specific vehicle for which one has to go to school,” said an NTSA officer.
Most of the tuk-tuk operators said there are no designated stages for them in Mombasa and urged the county administration to create them.
Mombasa county police commander Stephen Matu said the tuk-tuk business is lagging behind in terms of organisation, unlike the boda bodas.
He proposed that tuk-tuk operators should have uniforms like their matatu and boda boda counterparts.
“At the moment, when a tuk-tuk operator does something wrong, they simply jump out of the tuk-tuk and mingles- with the passers-by to avoid arrest. Once they mingle with the passers-by, it is difficult to identify them. And this has made the criminal elements take advantage,” Matu said.
