Kenyan Public Happy With New Transport Regulations
Mar 05, 2004
HAVE you ever imagined that one day you may be transporting a dead body from one location to another? And on the way, robbers stop you, beat you up and steal all the monies for mabugo (condolence) and remove the body from a pick-up?
By David Muwanga
HAVE you ever imagined that one day you may be transporting a dead body from one location to another? And on the way, robbers stop you, beat you up and steal all the monies for Mabugo (condolence) and remove the body from a pick-up?
After they remove the body from the car, they strip it naked, run off with all clothes if expensive, shoes and the coffin to the bush, as well as steal all the tyres from the car you have been using?
This can happen. These are the stories you will hear as you travel with Kenyans. It is said that Kenyans who lose relatives in the Eastern, Northern and southern regions used to transport their dead relatives who were to be buried in the Western region during the night. instead of spending the night on the vigil, from where the relative died, they could organise a convoy of cars to escort their dead so that they are able to bury the next day and quickly return to their regions. But this has been stopped because of increasing cases of robberies on the road. A Ugandan in Nairobi, who requested for anonymity, said thugs use many tricks to trap their victims.
“If you want to be safe using this road, you must pass before 10:00pm, otherwise if a car breaks down in this stretch from Eldoret to Nakuru, you would rather run off to the forest and spend the night with animals until morning when you can get assistance,†she said.
Among the tricks used include use of nails. They fix the nails in a piece of wood and place the wood on the road such that when a vehicle passes over it, its tyres get a puncture, which forces the vehicle to stop. They may also get a piece of wood, wrap it and then throw it in the middle of the road. As you drive towards it, you may think it is a dead body and you either reduce speed or stop. It is then that they emerge from the bush, pull you out of the vehicle, rob and strip you naked.
This stretch appears to have been built on high ground. “Electricity light is very dim in the lowlands where people are settled. On the other hand, there are no settlements by the roadside. Thugs exploit the darkness to rob travellers. You can see all the petrol stations on this route are closed by 8:00pm,†she said. Alvinas, Rexol, Kenol and Albenticos petrol stations were all closed by 8:00pm.
“At one time we had a tyre puncture at the Kenya-Tanzania border, but we couldn’t stop to change the tyre because when you stop, thugs emerge from nowhere to strip you naked, steal your belongings and if your resist, they kill you,†Wilson Kamawu, a resident of Mombasa, said.
I lost all the sleep to listen to this story. On reaching Nairobi, Kenya, there was a transport crisis. Thousands of passengers were stranded on stages across the city. This was as result of the new regulations introduced by the government. The regulation caused a country-wide shortage of matatus and buses.
The government giving matatu owners and drivers a three-month altimatum to implement installing seat belts and wearing badges issued by the Kenya revenue authority, authorities decided to crack down on those who defied the order. This forced matatus and buses to be taken to garages for the installation of belts and speed governors which limit speed, hence a shortage of transport to various destinations countrywide.
Some matutus plying the roads carried 25 passengers instead of the recommended 14. In Machakos, 47 drivers were arrested and charged with operating without seat belts and speed governors and failure to display badges, while in Nyeri, a driver was charged with overloading when he carried 25 passengers instead of 14.
I had to book a bus to Mombasa. With all the difficulties I went through, I managed to book in at Coast Bus which reached Mombasa at 7:15am.
I boarded a taxi to Whitesands hotel, but after a warning from a shopkeeper that I should be very firm not to show that I am a foreigner to the matatu boys.
I confidently paid the fare and was there on time. The only alternative was to fight and push hard in order to enter a matatu and if not, you had to pass through the windows. Surpassingly, most people supported the government’s move to crack down on matatus and buses. In Uganda, such a policy would be politicised and would become a topic of discussion on the increasing,but misused private radio stations. “I don’t mind the inconveniences, there are so many matatu’s without insurance. you get a problem with them and you cannot be compensated. If rules are in place, every car or bus will be insured. We must use the belts in order to protect lives,†David Muchiri, a technician, said.
Maria Mutisya, a business woman in Mombasa, said the new rules are better for the the transport sector.
“We don’t know how long it will take, but we have to be patient until the problem of safety is solved. Drivers have to be slow and disciplined,†she said.
Rashid Suleiman, the director of Falcon Coaches, said, “We like the new system, it helps people to travel safely. Drivers used to pick passengers on the way even when the bus was full. The new rules save buses and life of passengers,†he said.
at his office on Kommo Kenyatta avenue.
“Wearing belts are a means to the safety of passengers. However, the 80km/hr introduced by the speed governors is very slow, at least they should put it at 100km per hour,†he Suleiman added.
“For example, buses from Mombasa to Busia leave at 5:00pm and reach Busia at 9:00am. However, buses now reach Busia at 2:00pm. The government should also acknowledge that on long journeys, passengers always get tired.â€
Ends
HAVE you ever imagined that one day you may be transporting a dead body from one location to another? And on the way, robbers stop you, beat you up and steal all the monies for Mabugo (condolence) and remove the body from a pick-up?
After they remove the body from the car, they strip it naked, run off with all clothes if expensive, shoes and the coffin to the bush, as well as steal all the tyres from the car you have been using?
This can happen. These are the stories you will hear as you travel with Kenyans. It is said that Kenyans who lose relatives in the Eastern, Northern and southern regions used to transport their dead relatives who were to be buried in the Western region during the night. instead of spending the night on the vigil, from where the relative died, they could organise a convoy of cars to escort their dead so that they are able to bury the next day and quickly return to their regions. But this has been stopped because of increasing cases of robberies on the road. A Ugandan in Nairobi, who requested for anonymity, said thugs use many tricks to trap their victims.
“If you want to be safe using this road, you must pass before 10:00pm, otherwise if a car breaks down in this stretch from Eldoret to Nakuru, you would rather run off to the forest and spend the night with animals until morning when you can get assistance,†she said.
Among the tricks used include use of nails. They fix the nails in a piece of wood and place the wood on the road such that when a vehicle passes over it, its tyres get a puncture, which forces the vehicle to stop. They may also get a piece of wood, wrap it and then throw it in the middle of the road. As you drive towards it, you may think it is a dead body and you either reduce speed or stop. It is then that they emerge from the bush, pull you out of the vehicle, rob and strip you naked.
This stretch appears to have been built on high ground. “Electricity light is very dim in the lowlands where people are settled. On the other hand, there are no settlements by the roadside. Thugs exploit the darkness to rob travellers. You can see all the petrol stations on this route are closed by 8:00pm,†she said. Alvinas, Rexol, Kenol and Albenticos petrol stations were all closed by 8:00pm.
“At one time we had a tyre puncture at the Kenya-Tanzania border, but we couldn’t stop to change the tyre because when you stop, thugs emerge from nowhere to strip you naked, steal your belongings and if your resist, they kill you,†Wilson Kamawu, a resident of Mombasa, said.
I lost all the sleep to listen to this story. On reaching Nairobi, Kenya, there was a transport crisis. Thousands of passengers were stranded on stages across the city. This was as result of the new regulations introduced by the government. The regulation caused a country-wide shortage of matatus and buses.
The government giving matatu owners and drivers a three-month altimatum to implement installing seat belts and wearing badges issued by the Kenya revenue authority, authorities decided to crack down on those who defied the order. This forced matatus and buses to be taken to garages for the installation of belts and speed governors which limit speed, hence a shortage of transport to various destinations countrywide.
Some matutus plying the roads carried 25 passengers instead of the recommended 14. In Machakos, 47 drivers were arrested and charged with operating without seat belts and speed governors and failure to display badges, while in Nyeri, a driver was charged with overloading when he carried 25 passengers instead of 14.
I had to book a bus to Mombasa. With all the difficulties I went through, I managed to book in at Coast Bus which reached Mombasa at 7:15am.
I boarded a taxi to Whitesands hotel, but after a warning from a shopkeeper that I should be very firm not to show that I am a foreigner to the matatu boys.
I confidently paid the fare and was there on time. The only alternative was to fight and push hard in order to enter a matatu and if not, you had to pass through the windows. Surpassingly, most people supported the government’s move to crack down on matatus and buses. In Uganda, such a policy would be politicised and would become a topic of discussion on the increasing,but misused private radio stations. “I don’t mind the inconveniences, there are so many matatu’s without insurance. you get a problem with them and you cannot be compensated. If rules are in place, every car or bus will be insured. We must use the belts in order to protect lives,†David Muchiri, a technician, said.
Maria Mutisya, a business woman in Mombasa, said the new rules are better for the the transport sector.
“We don’t know how long it will take, but we have to be patient until the problem of safety is solved. Drivers have to be slow and disciplined,†she said.
Rashid Suleiman, the director of Falcon Coaches, said, “We like the new system, it helps people to travel safely. Drivers used to pick passengers on the way even when the bus was full. The new rules save buses and life of passengers,†he said.
at his office on Kommo Kenyatta avenue.
“Wearing belts are a means to the safety of passengers. However, the 80km/hr introduced by the speed governors is very slow, at least they should put it at 100km per hour,†he Suleiman added.
“For example, buses from Mombasa to Busia leave at 5:00pm and reach Busia at 9:00am. However, buses now reach Busia at 2:00pm. The government should also acknowledge that on long journeys, passengers always get tired.â€
Ends