Matatu Owners Association (MOA) on Thursday endorsed the National Transport and Safety Authority(NTSA) ban on night travel of public service vehicles (PSVs).
The Association chairman Simon Kimutai explained that the MOA had decided to endorse the ban since it will help in reducing road accidents and creating sanity.
Mr Kimutai, however, made a humble request to the transport authority requesting that the ban is moved to midnight to allow the operators more time to work.
“We have no issue with the ban, we partly support the move as it will contribute to the minimisation of road accidents only if the government can grant us our request to operate till midnight," Kimutai stated.
[caption caption="File image of MOA Chairman Simon Kimutai"]
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The move by the matatu operators comes barely a week after NTSA banned on all night travels by PSVs due to the increased number of night road accidents in the country.
The authority directed that long-distance public service vehicles should be allowed to operate between 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
The ban took effect on Sunday, December 31st following the Migaa accident near Salgaa that claimed 36 lives.
In a statement released by the agency, the authority's Director-General Francis Meja noted that their reports indicated that a majority of accidents occurred at night.
[caption caption="Matatus at a Nairobi teminus"]
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It is still unclear whether all the other matatu operators will embrace MOA's new position.
