Chaotic bedbug-ridden PSVs are the real crisis

Public transport officials have hogged the limelight for staging an epic nationwide strike over fuel prices.  The shutdown seen on May 18 was a masterstroke in mobilisation.

Some were roundly accused of ‘eating’ then quickly softening their positions after a tense meeting with Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi, his Transport colleague Davis Chirchir and Treasury officials. The ‘gang’ had declared that ‘we’ve not agreed on anything’ but called off the strike. By the end of it all, nine people had died, several injured and property like private cars torched.

But as the dust settles on last week’s disruption, something is awfully wrong. I’ve never seen a situation where a whole sector comes out hammer and tongs to confront a lesser problem, while conveniently ignoring a bigger one whose effects are far more debilitating. Isn’t it insanity?

I’m talking about the malignant impunity among matatus, boda boda operators and even law enforcement officials. Compared to the rising petroleum prices, the anarchy on our roads is the greater evil sector investors aren’t addressing.

Instead, they swim in it like the proverbial dog returning to its own vomit. What we have is a transport sector highly organised when it comes to strikes, demos and fare hikes, yet completely disorganised when it comes to basic discipline, safety and professionalism. PSV owners, crews, saccos and other stakeholders often display recklessness that should alarm us in our ‘Singapore’ moment.

Cartel culture and conspiracy of silence by key transport players have led to needless deaths. According to the National Transport and Safety Authority, road accidents claim about 4,000 lives annually and cost Kenya between three and five per cent of the country’s GDP.

Our country’s road safety, urban mobility and economic productivity all depend on a functional, orderly and disciplined transport system. It can’t just be about activism over fuel prices while neglecting accountability. I long for the day when transport officials will fight impunity in their midst with the same vigour they displayed last week while protesting against fuel prices. They addressed countless press conferences, with some alleging that they were threatened. But can they do that for our sake?

The biggest problem, however, isn’t even the absence of laws, but corruption that breeds disregard for the law. Decades after minister John Michuki introduced the Michuki Rules, little reforms progress has been made. Chaos in the boda boda sector is so extreme that unruly riders torch cars and perpetuate village-level crimes. One would think Kenya is a failed state surviving on borrowed time.

Worse still, some traffic officers collect bribes from road users in full public view, including on highways, giving a free pass to bed-bug-ridden PSVs that aren’t roadworthy, and are, in fact, an eyesore in our cities. Graft makes meaningful reforms impossible to implement, with many patriots wondering whether the anti-graft agency has presence on the ground. Overall, the problem remains cartelism.

If you doubt the power of Kenya’s PSV cartels, they should ask Dr Boni Khalwale. The withdrawal of a transport reform Bill sponsored by the Kakamega senator raised serious questions. On May 1 last year, the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill No 38 of 2023 was strangled despite having been passed by the Senate and forwarded to the National Assembly.

The Bill had sought to regulate the boda boda sector through mandatory rider registration, standardised safety guidelines by counties and stricter licensing requirements. But cartel interests cannot allow anyone challenge the status quo. A lot is at stake.

This is why political goodwill is urgently needed. The public, too, must demand accountability. Reforms cannot happen in silence. What to do now? The outrage against lawlessness on our roads must become louder than the bribes exchanged daily at roadblocks and bus stages. We must collectively allow change. As the economy bleeds from last week’s strike, whose overall impact ran into billions of shillings, it is important to support reforms that will improve efficiency and deliver higher returns in the transport sector. A stitch in time saves nine.

-The writer is a communications practitioner. X:@markoloo