Passengers stranded after Super Metro suspension

Mass Mobility Operators Association Vice Chairman Joseph Kagai(centre)With Secretary General Wilfred Bosire (Right) and organising Secretary John Kamau during a media briefing on NTSA's suspension of Super METRO licence. March 21 2025 [Benard Orwongo,Standard]

Several passengers in the city are feeling the strain following the National Transport and Safety Authority’s (NTSA) decision to suspend more than 200 minibuses belonging to Super Metro Sacco, which operate on various routes.

From Thursday evening, long queues formed at some matatu stages as passengers scrambled for buses due to the ban.

The Mass Mobility Operators Association has criticised the suspension, arguing that it was intended to punish passengers and matatu owners.

“A consultation ought to have been conducted with the parent associations to which every Sacco belongs because some investors are servicing loans. It is also unfair to the passengers who rely on the Sacco,” said Japheth Kagai, the association’s chairperson.

Kagai added, “We will conduct joint road safety sensitisation across all Saccos to ensure that all drivers and conductors respect the passengers they transport.”

The association further claimed that such incidents indicate laxity among the police, county authorities, and NTSA.

At the same time, the association alleged that some vendors licensed to sell speed limiters are selling counterfeit devices, urging NTSA to investigate the matter.

“One of the issues NTSA raised while suspending Super Metro, which is our member, was speed limiters. When we take vehicles to NTSA for inspection, even if they are new, the limiters are often deemed faulty,” Kagai noted.

He added, “The vendors selling these gadgets are licensed by the Kenya Bureau of Statistics and NTSA, which is why we trust them. When faults arise, it is not the mistake of the Sacco or the investors.”

For this reason, the association called upon NTSA to investigate those licensed to sell speed limiters, claiming that some of the devices in the market bear quality marks but are actually counterfeit.

On Thursday, NTSA suspended Super Metro’s operating licence following a recent incident in which a passenger was allegedly pushed to their death from a moving bus.

The authority stated that the move was necessary to ensure the company implements adequate safety measures to protect passengers’ lives.

As a result, on Friday, many of the Sacco’s buses remained parked at various matatu stages in the city centre, Kitengela, and Ngong, among other areas, as they awaited further directives.

Super Metro insisted that they were fully compliant and had already addressed the concerns raised in NTSA’s investigations.