(Njogu wa Njeri is a columnist and a trained journalist)
On the first Monday of the month of December, Kenyans woke up to the harsh reality borne of Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko’s move to ban the matatus from accessing the central business district with the obscured dream of decongesting the city.
Instead, the city was congested with Kenyans rushing to various destinations trying not to be on the wrong side of time.
Although the ban has been extended for many months, there was no better time to implement it as the decision was based on the elites’ self-serving interest.
By the end of the day, the ban culminated in weary Kenyans dragging themselves to the newly designated bus termini whining and cursing the governor but with no much hope for a ‘better tomorrow’.
Described in any language, the move to ban matatus from dropping commuters at their respective spots is archaic and illogical.
Since time immemorial, those who rely on public service vehicles have always counted on the convenience of accessing the city with ease through the use of these matatus.
Sonko’s ‘vision’ to curb traffic congestion in the CBD lies, not in the misguided decision to ban the matatus but with continued engagements with all stakeholders including commuters.
With logical thinking, it goes without saying that this pipe dream will fail as matatus are not to blame for the congestion. Let us reason through.
Most PSV busses have a capacity of 33 passengers while most car owners drive with the luxury of 1 or 2 occupants per vehicle. Do the mathematics now.
As the name suggests, public service vehicles serve the members of the public, thus, should not be inconvenienced, forced to walk for kilometres traversing the city in search of basic services.
As if Kenyans were not irked enough, the governor was quoted saying that Kenyans need to exercise their bodies.
In the simplest terms; Kenyans did not sign up for that exercise.
Now that the ban has been lifted, let there be structured discussions with all stakeholders involved so that next time we have matatus banned from entering the CBD, Kenyans will not be the casualties of ill-informed decisions.
#hivisasaoriginal