Mombasa County Assembly has passed a motion approving the introduction of new rules to govern its tuk-tuk industry aimed at improving road safety.
According to the new recommendations, the operators will be required, starting May next year, to print the tuk-tuk’s owner’s full names and Address as well as that of their business location on the right side.
The drivers will from now henceforth be expected to be clean and well groomed and operators will not be allowed to smoke or spit while doing their work.
The assembly also demanded that the tuk-tuks be painted with a colour coinciding that of a zone they will be attached to and operating from.
These colours include green for the Island, yellow for Likoni, red for Changamwe, blue for Nyali and blue and yellow stripes for Kisauni.
"The colour scheme shall not prevent operators from crisscrossing or passing through another zone," clarified the motion.
The assembly further directed that all operators will be expected to display a photo at all times, carry their identification cards as well as have three functional seat belts and stickers issued by the county government.
Failure to adhere to any of the new rules is likely to lead to their prosecution.
"There have been increased incidences of acts of insecurity and malpractices by operators of tuk-tuks and if left unregulated, the public will continue to be exposed to security and safety hazards," stated a member of the assembly.
The court approved that photographic and video evidences of the violations will be accepted in law courts and used to prosecute the perpetrators.
