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Flashback to 2003. Complete anarchy rules the matatu sector. It was known as matatu madness. Reckless driving. Overspeeding. Blaring loud music. Overloading and cramming passengers into vehicles like sardines. Garish colours. Horrific incessant accidents, etc.

Enter minister for Transport John Michuki in February 2004. Michuki ordered all matatus to adhere to a given set of rules and regulations to operate. These rules, which came to be famously known as Michuki rules, imposed rigid discipline in the sector and brought unbelievable sanity. Key among them was fitting seat belts, installing speed limiters, requiring drivers and conductors to wear uniforms, and prominently displaying the photograph of the driver.

Further, the vehicles were to adhere to the colour code in the logbook, as well as a yellow line. In addition, there would be no carrying of excess passengers, while the number of seats would adhere to the requisite capacity. Touting was banned.

The difference was like night and day. Loud and lewd music disappeared. Standing passengers disappeared. Matatus were driven at safe speeds. In other words, matatu madness died. The Michuki rules ushered in a period of calm and tranquility that was highly welcomed by Kenyans.

Fast-forward to 2024. Matatu madness is back in full force. Garish colours, ear-splitting music, loud and rude conductors now rule, while touts in every corner of the streets in Nairobi and major towns produce a cacophony of noise. Overspeeding and reckless driving are standard. Uniforms are gone. As for those matatus that still have working speed limiters, they are considered a joke by their competitors and passengers.

The last reform that had stood the test of time, the banning of excess passengers, has finally been overrun. The matatus have become a security risk as they switch off cabin lights at night, and passengers are driven in complete darkness. Why?

The anarchy in the sector is now so entrenched that at a matatu beauty pageant held recently, the top contenders were those that had done their utmost to make a mockery of the Michuki rules.

This descent into chaos started in February 2015 when President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted a ban on graffiti and artwork on matatus. He said he wanted to allow young people to use their talents to earn a living. His statement might have been well intentioned, but it has been severely subverted.

The National Transport and Safety Authority seems to have simply rolled over and died. It has allowed the runaway train to gather speed and steamroller all rules in its wake.

The last serious attempt to enforce the Michuki rules was in November 2018, when then no-nonsense Interior minister Fred Matiang’i ordered a crackdown on rogue matatus. He went even further to target rogue boda bodas.  The countrywide crackdown saw a return to some sanity on the roads as both matatu operators and passengers returned to default settings.

The problem with the Michuki rules is that subsequent ministers always drop the ball. Barely had Matiang’i moved to other mandates before the indiscipline started creeping back. By 2022, matatu madness had reared its ugly head yet again.

The government, in March 2022, announced another crackdown to reinstate the Michuki rules. As usual, matatus vowed to go on strike so that Kenyans could suffer as a way of blackmailing the government. Officials backed down and called off the crackdown. Two years later, the situation has gone from worse to worst!

Several things are clear. One, only a determined minister can take on this matatu madness and succeed. Second, as soon as the minister lets his eyes off the ball, matatu madness returns pretty rapidly. It’s as resilient as couch grass. The minister must maintain eternal vigilance. The NTSA has demonstrated it has zero capacity to maintain discipline in the transport sector, especially for matatus.

Is it too much to request, nay, demand, that Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir do his job and implement a crackdown to ensure all matatus default back to the Michuki rules?

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