Public service vehicles operators plying routs within Machakos County have condemned the county government's attempt to introduce M-Pesa as a new payment mode for remitting revenue.
Addressing the press at Makadara main stage in Athi River town on Thursday, Stephen Mbolonzi, Chairman Wamasaa Travelers and Investment Company Limited said the system would expose them to more charges thereby remitting more revenue for their vehicles.
"We will not remit revenue for our vehicles through M-Pesa because this will mean remitting more taxes to the county government due to service charges for the Safaricom's product transaction," said Mbolonzi.
Mbolonzi said those in the transport industry and operating on the routs within the county had no business with the Safaricom Company as far as remitting revenue for their vehicles was concerned.
He said leadership of the county government should deal with alleged high corruption among its revenue collection officers, arguing it was not the fault of operators for the same government to mistrust its employees in revenue collection department alongside systems they use to tax those in the transport industry.
Mbolonzi said the government should allow them to pay for seasonal receipts to evade cartels who distort the operators and con the same the county government.
"Revenue collected by Machakos County government is high, there is a cartel that exploits matatu operators with the current system of paying for revenue on daily basis," he said.
He said the government should allow them to pay for the vehicles' taxation on monthly basis and be issued with seasonal receipts and stickers as in the case with Nairobi, Kajiado, Thika and Nakuru Counties where their vehicles equally operate.
He said despite the fact that Machakos government currently charges their matatus plying on the county's routes Sh150 a day and buses plus minibuses Sh450 daily translating to Sh4,500 and Sh13,500 respectively, some of the revenue collectors were charging Sh50 for the vehicles thereby exposing operators to problems with law enforcement officers in the county government.
A situation Mbolonzi said led to matatu operators demonstrations against the county government's leadership on Tuesday paralysing transport between Nairobi, Athi River and Machakos towns.
Mbolonzi said more than 600 matatu operators including vehicles owners, drivers and conductors matched with over 210 vehicles to Mavoko sub county offices in Nairobi barricading road to Mavoko Law Courts, Athi River District Hospital, Athi River Police Station, Athi River Sub County headquarters and Kenya Meat Commission over alleged increased corruption among the revenue collection officers at the county government.
He said the operators belonging to Wamasaa, Kima, Nasamki and Nakamata Saccos had downed their tools that morning after seven vehicles belonging to Wamasaa Sacco had been arrested and dumped at Mavoko sub county headquarters Monday evening.
Mbolonzi said the county government's security enforcement team arrested the vehicles after some of the revenue collectors had accused their operators of failing to pay their daily revenues.
He trashed the allegations, arguing that the vehicles were arrested very early in the morning and late in the evening before the tax collectors reported to designated collection points and after they had left.
Mbolonzi accused the county officials of allegedly demanding bribes for the vehicles to be released, what he said prompted the demonstrations.
He said the demonstrations were resolved after leadership of the county government engaged leadership of the Saccos in a 10 hour meeting which resolved that the vehicles be released unconditionally, and submission of revenue be done through M-Pesa, which they have since challenged and demanded that they pay their taxes monthly using other systems like other counties.