Residents in Kikuyu sub county have on Friday been encouraged to report any incidences involving overloading matatus in order to curb the increasing cases of overloading in the area. This is after 32 residents found themselves on the wrong side of the law by agreeing to overload in matatus instead of refusing to encourage the offence.
Speaking from her office, the Traffic base commander Inspector Elizabeth Wakuloba said that most residents had in the recent few weeks found themselves arrested for overloading matatus. She said that by agreeing to stand in matatus or squeezing to sit on a sit meant for only a particular number of people, they were encouraging the traffic offence.
Inspector Wakuloba said that overloading vehicles was a great risk since the extra passengers don't have access to safety belts for example. She said that this was greediness on the part of the matatu operators despite the risk on the lives of all the passengers. Wakuloba said that residents should now step their foot down and avoid being on the wrong by reporting to traffic officers in case of any overloading incidences for immediate action to be taken.
Wakuloba said that the traffic department has also come up with a communication service that will be displayed in the bus terminus and also in matatus where passengers can get easy access to the number which they can call to report cases of any matatus spotted overloading.
"We have a number that will be displayed in vehicles and the bus terminus in Kikuyu and this will enable the passengers to help us fight traffic offences such as overloading as they will in many ways be playing a watchdog role on behalf of the police," said Wakuloba.