By: Rhoda Bogeta
Lawyers Danstan Omari and Stanley Kinyanjui have moved to court to oppose a petition seeking the removal of certain 12 matatu Saccos from Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD).
The petitioners are asking the court to compel the Saccos to vacate their current pick-up points to pave way for developments they claim are more suitable for the area.
Speaking to the media, Omari said the petitioners alleged that 12 Saccos pick up passengers from three petrol stations within the city that is , Total Energies that uses Thika Road through Ngara, Ola Petrol Station at OTC, and Ola Petrol Station at Afya Centre.
The petitioners argue that the matatus operating from these petrol stations pose a danger to the public.
“These matatus only use the petrol stations as pick-up points. At any given time, only two matatus are allowed to be at a petrol station,” said Omari. “The investors have their parking yards outside Nairobi and only drive in when called for pick-up.”
Omari told the court that the 12 Saccos collectively transport about 900,000 passengers daily across the country.
He added that they would write to President William Ruto, warning that removing the matatus would destabilize Nairobi’s economy.
“Kenya does not have a government-run public transport system. We depend entirely on the private sector. Any disruption at this time, when the economy is struggling, would be disastrous,” Omari said.
Lawyer Kinyanjui echoed his sentiments, saying the move would cripple the operations of both the county and national governments, as well as disrupt human and vehicle traffic in the city.
“The national government collects about Sh12.9 billion annually from the 12 Saccos, while the county government earns approximately Sh290 million from licences, fees, and levies,” he said.
The lawyers also argued that thousands of people are employed by the Saccos, and halting their operations would lead to massive job losses and negatively affect many families.
They urged the court to dismiss the petition, saying it does not consider the interests of third parties such as fuel station attendants, mechanics, and other service providers who depend on the Saccos for their livelihood.
Clinton Kioko Wambua, chairman of the 12 Saccos and head of Prestige Sacco, said the affected operators have worked from the same spots for over 20 years.
“We have raised our families and taken care of our parents through this work. We have nowhere else to operate from,” Wambua said.
