A section of Kenyans is sceptical that Interior CS Fred Matiang'i's current efforts to restore sanity on Kenyan roads might not yield much.
In fact, pessimists are of the opinion that Matiang'i's tough talk is nothing but hot air that will condense down as time moves on.
However, a section of Thika Town Matatu Sacco (2TS) crew in an exclusive interview on Monday revealed that they actually believe that Matiang'i could be out on serious business.
"This Matiang'i guy is no joke! Even though we are on strike today, it is only for a short while to see whether Matiang'i can allow us little more time to comply. Otherwise, we know well that our options are very limited," John Mwangi, a 2TS matatu owner and driver said.
Several other matatu crews in the area had similar sentiments.
So, why do most of these matatu crews think this way?
Their conclusion is based on a brief look back at Matiang'i's style of doing things.
1. Digital migration
While serving as ICT CS, Matiangi forcefully effected digital migration in 2014 amid great resistance from main media players in the country.
Royal Media Services, Standard Media Group and Nation Media Group used their trusted and powerful media platforms to rally audiences to reject the migration. They even switched off their TV signals and blamed it on the government.
However, Matiang'i remained steadfast and refused to succumb to all forms of blackmail that was being propagated by these three big media houses.
2. Drastic reforms pertaining national examinations.
To avert cheating in national exams, Matiang'i as Education Ministry CS introduced an array of measures that for the first time in many years made it absolutely hard to cheat in national exams.
There was a fierce backlash when almost 75 per cent of candidates who sat for the 2016 KCSE failed to attain the minimum grade (C+) required to secure admission to a Kenyan university.
3. Reforms in the school transport system.
Matiang'i among other things banned school buses from ferrying students at night. All schools across the country were also forced to paint their buses yellow amid resistance.
4. Police reforms
As Interior CS, Matiang'i has launched drastic reforms in the National Police Service that among other things will see police officers house themselves and have different uniforms.
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