Hundreds of travelers stranded as Garissa PSV operators go on strike

Garissa, Wednesday July 12, 2023

KNA by Erick Kyalo

Public transport services in Garissa County to other parts of the country have been halted since Wednesday morning leaving hundreds of travelers stranded following a strike by the matatu owners over increased fuel prices.

The matatu owners are further protesting the guidelines issued by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) requiring retesting of PSV drivers during the renewal of their driving licenses.

Although the implementation of the guidelines was suspended on Tuesday by the Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen awaiting the report by a multi-agency committee tasked to look into the issues, the matatus owners in Garissa still feel that their issues may not be looked into.

Salah Abdikadir, a manager for the Planet Coach that plies the Garissa - Nairobi route said that most of their drivers have over 20 years of experience and that they do not need to be retested for them to renew their licenses.

“Just imagine someone who has been driving these buses for 20 years being told that he needs to go back to class for retesting so that he can renew his license. This will be a major problem and we are calling on the government to bring up alternative ways of solving the accidents problem,” Abdikadir said.

“The prices of fuel are also rising every other day making it difficult for business. We have decided that today we ‘down our tools’ so that the government can find a way to stabilize the fuel prices,” he added.

Courtesy ; K. N. A