We cannot speak of a public transport system in Kenya today without mentioning the key role that is played by the 14-Seater Matatus.
The railway,the big buses,the Boda Boda are also key players in the sector. If any of these sub sector fails for one reason or another, we immediately see chaos on our roads. It is for that reason that the government must ensure that it develops the correct policies for each sub sector.
The Government policy of doing away with the 14- Seater on our roads is the wrong one,if not accompanied by other measures. For the last one year,the Ministry of Transport has not allowed the licensing of any new 14-Seater. The effect of the policy of replacing them with bigger buses, on short distance routes, is already resulting in huge losses for many Saccos.
Matatus are a major employer of our youth. In some parts of country, the shambas have become too small and yet we must continue to create employment for them. With the reduction of these Matatus, what alternative youth employment opportunities do they have?
Small shambas have also led to a situation where our small and middle class have to invest in service industry. That is why there are so many Matatus that are owned by people from Kisii and Mt. Kenya regions. We need a Government policy that takes this into account. Where are they to invest if not in such fairly low cost investments?
There are many rural areas that cannot justify a big bus as the numbers carried per trip are small. This, in addition to poor roads, makes it uneconomical to use big buses. Until such a time that the roads are improved, there will always be need for the Matatus.
The experience of those Saccos that have bought some bigger buses, as per Government policy, have suffered major financial losses. The cost of these new buses is very high for small/ middle class investors. The bank loans makes it almost impossible to have profitable operations as the charges are too high. The experience is that many of these buses have been grounded or are about to be grounded or are causing big losses to the Saccos' business.
Another practical experience of our people is that,because of the short distances that are involved, most of the people are in a hurry to go and do their business or work and get back home the same day. This is not the case for those who travel long distances. They are,therefore, impatient and do not want to wait for buses that take a long time to fill before departing. That is why even the smaller 7-Seaters and Probox do even better than the 14-Seaters.
Having said all that we have said in strong support for the reinstatement of 14-Seaters, we know there is need for better discipline of the matatus' drivers on our roads. There is need to fight corruption on our roads.
There is need for roadworthy vehicles. All these things we understand and appreciate. But the solution is not to kill the sector but to facilitate it's proper growth. We now know that the Study that brought about the policy expected several measures to be put in place before doing away with them.
My Ministry will continue to urge better management of these Saccos so as to better serve out travelling public. We have continued to support the bus programme, but our experience now shows that there is a place for the Matatu and big buses too. We should not do away with them in an unplanned manner.
The writer is,
Minister for Cooperative Development and Marketing.
