I’m an adherent fan and follower of Mutuma’s opinion articles and I read his recent article on “why matatu industry players are not about to strike over chrismas” with a lot of interest and it was quite true and straight because in the first place they never did strike.. Lot of reforms need to be done on the public transport sector in Kenya.However, I beg to defer with him when he cold-bloodedly declares that the welfare of Kenyans would be greatly improved by collecting matatus in one place and inviting one of our air force bombers to perform an ordinance on them, and then he says that our roads would be safer and world class if the matatu drivers were to be rounded up and exiled.
Let me remind him that not all Kenyans can afford private means of travel like the elites. If matatus were to be rounded up and bombed, probably that man who cleans his car would never be able to reach to work same as his tea lady. He forgets that if the matatu drivers are exiled, there children could sleep hungry and probably drop out of school due to lack of school fees. He is misguided when he point blank says that all the matatu drivers spend all their money on nyama choma and beer. Some of them are responsible guardians and parents and have people who depend on them.
Instead, he should have talked about the owners of the matatus, and these are elites who travel in the private vehicles he’s suggesting are the only ones who should be left on the roads. He forgets that they are the ones who sometimes dictates the number of trips a matatu should make in a day say from a point A to B and at the end of the day, they under-pay the drivers and hence the drivers in coalition with the conductors try to make extra income. He forgot that as they get bombed together with their matatus,the traffic cops should be bundled together with them for I believe that they are squarely responsible for all the mess on our roads.Surely,life cant cost the 50 shillings they pick. The government also as a role to play by erecting road signs and bumps in the right places and the commuters who continue piling in a already full matatu also have to be held into account.So,my friend Mutuma,go slow on the matatu drivers!
