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MWA says state should buy out 14-seater matatus


The Matatu Welfare Association wants the government to buy out the remaining 14 seater matatus in Nairobi.

MWA chairman Dickson Mbugua said the funds thereof will enable the owners of the commuter vehicles to buy busesin an effort to decongest the roads.

“What we recommend is that the Government should buy out the remaining matatus at a  flat rate, then form a seed kitty where the operators can borrow from and purchase the required buses,” said Mr Mbugua.

“With the slow phasing out of matatus and the hard economic times, the Government could finance say 50 per cent while the operators will cater for the rest to buy buses,” he further argued.

Mr Mbugua said with the government’s move to phase out the smaller 14 seaters, many owners have been forced out of the business as they cannot afford to buy bigger ones.

He argued that the government could also set up a soft loan kitty through contributions from international donors such as the World Bank.