Transport operations across the country are expected to be disrupted on Monday after motorists, truckers, and other transport operators announced plans to join matatu operators in a nationwide strike over what they describe as rising lawlessness and impunity on Kenyan roads.
The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) said on Saturday, January 31, that on behalf of transport workers, private car owners, transporters, and truck drivers would halt operations to support matatu operators, pointing to repeated cases of vehicle burnings and what they described as a lack of government response.
The association said a nationwide strike notice had been issued for Monday, February 2, following the failure by authorities to respond to demands raised by transport operators during a press conference held earlier in the week.
Transport sector players warned that Monday’s shutdown would mark the beginning of a major protest if decisive action is not taken to restore law and order on the roads, particularly following a spate of violent attacks targeting vehicles.
According to the operators, at least nine vehicles, including matatus, buses, trucks and private cars, have been torched by mobs within a single month. Several of the cases followed road incidents involving pedestrians or boda boda riders in areas such as Juja, Luanda in Vihiga County, and along the Thika Superhighway.
The transporters said the attacks have caused millions of shillings in losses, destroyed livelihoods and placed passengers, drivers and bystanders at serious risk, arguing that the lack of apprehension and prosecutions has encouraged further excesses by the riders.
They further warned that mob justice is increasingly replacing due process, creating fear among motorists and undermining confidence in law enforcement agencies tasked with maintaining order.
Matatu Owners Association, together with PSV operators, first declared the strike while speaking to the media on Wednesday, faulting the government for failing to safeguard their vehicles even though the sector ranks among the country’s top taxpayers.
The operators said many matatus are uninsured and depend on government protection, adding that while they continue paying taxes and fuel levies that support road maintenance and other public services, their businesses remain exposed to destruction.
They warned that patience within the sector was wearing thin, accusing authorities of failing to make meaningful apprehension following recent torching incidents.
The PSV operators also threatened to escalate the protests by blocking major roads and highways from Monday, should their concerns continue to be ignored.
Meanwhile, in response, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), working with the National Police Service (NPS) and other agencies, announced plans to pilot a new identification system for boda boda riders in Nairobi to improve regulation and accountability within the sector.
Officials close to the operations said the programme would issue riders with unique identification numbers separate from motorcycle registration plates, allowing authorities to better track operations, following pressure from matatu owners and motorists who have blamed rogue riders for some of the excesses.