The Matatu Owners Association, on Thursday, July 6, partnered with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to expose rogue police officers accused of soliciting bribes.
MOA stated that the partnership was necessitated by Ksh1 trillion losses incurred in the industry through bribery.
Speaking in Nairobi after meeting officials of the anti-graft agencies, the association's CEO, Ruth Mutheu, claimed that cops always ask for bribes as low as Ksh50.
In a day, operators can lose between Ksh1,000 and Ksh3,000 - a move driving investors out of the industry. Matatu owners will thus work hand in hand in proposing laws and reporting bribery incidents.
"I would like to thank the EACC for partnering with us. They have promised to work with us to restore sanity to the sector and bring back money to the pockets of the investors," Mutheu stated.
Earlier, the newly elected chairman Albert Karakacha explained that corruption on the roads contributed to increased road accidents.
According to Karakacha, the government needed to curb corruption before introducing new measures, such as installing dashboard cameras in vehicles.
"We can partner with the government to train our drivers. We do not need cameras on our roads as we have disciplined drivers.
"Police should do highway patrols rather than set up roadblocks in a specific area," Karakacha stated in response to a proposal fronted by Transport Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen.
Murkomen ordered all matatus, school buses, and heavy commercial vehicles to install telematics that transmit real-time data on a vehicle's location and speed. The National Transport Safety Authority will receive and monitor the data to curb road carnage.
The road agency, on Thursday, June 29, reported that 2,124 Kenyans lost their lives in accidents since January 2023. Pedestrians and motorcyclists accounted for most deaths reported.
In a different report released in September 2022, Transparency International and Afrobarometer stated that over 55 per cent of motorists pay bribes to police on roads.
"55 per cent of the long-distance drivers indicated that they were asked to pay a bribe by the police while 20 per cent solicited by traffic marshalls.
