Special treatment for pregnant women in Nairobi matatus

Residents of Umoja estate, Nairobi struggle to get in a matatu. [File, Standard]

City makangas will have to treat you with respect if you are pregnant, an old geezer or physically challenged if the Nairobi County Assembly enacts a Bill under deliberations into law. The Bill will also give Nairobians powers to suspend matatu Saccos, but will also protect makangas from rowdy passengers. Under the Bill, there will be no chewing miraa, smoking, drinking alcohol or abusing drugs inside a matatu.

The law will deal a death blow to excessive vehicle pimping especially noisy exhausters, hooters, windows tinting and installation of light-emitting diodes.

The Nairobi City County Public Transport and Traffic Management Bill, 2018 moved by Eastleigh North Ward Rep Osman Ibrahim Adow provides that the aforementioned persons and others with special needs be given priority like reserving them seats, failure to which it will be an offence liable to conviction.

The Bill, intended to repeal all defunct Council public transport by-laws has a raft of laws that will govern the sector including a  Public Roads Transport and Management Committee with powers to revoke or suspend a matatu Sacco permits if 75 percent of route users sign a petition submitted to the committee.

The law will protect the matatu drivers from quarrelsome commuters and route gangs who determine if a vehicle will or not pick up passengers at designated termini, besides prohibiting passengers from chewing miraa, smoking or drinking alcohol.  

Passengers will have to queue and all vehicle engines switched off while at the termini while passengers are boarding.

Operators will have to display fare charts and such should not exceed stipulated amount.

And when hired for a trip, the crew will have to take care of items left behind and deliver them to the passengers and if unable to reach them, take it to the vehicle owner, nearest police station or lost property office and obtain receipt for it.

Failure to adhere to these rules will attract a fine ranging from Sh50, 000 to Sh500, 000 or six months jail term or both.