Mombasa, KENYA: The Tuk Tuk association of Mombasa has vowed to move to court to stop new rules imposed on them by Mombasa County government.
The association spokesman Mgandi Kalinga has said the operators were not consulted before passing the bill into law.
“Somebody just woke up, went to the assembly introduced the bill without doing any consultation and we strongly oppose the new rules because we were not involved.” Said Mgandi.
The spokesman has however added that the association will move to court to stop the implementation of the rules.
“Our lawyers are working on a petition to stop the rules, and we will also file a defamation case against the county government for defaming our characters because our image has already been tarnished.” He added
Mgandi has also accused the county government of accusing them of insecurity in the county.
“We work very closely with the security agencies in the county and as an association, we register all our members and give them special numbers for easy tracking to curb insecurity cases.” He added.
Under the new rules, every tuk-tuk in operation must display the owner’s full name and business address, and every driver is also expected to wear an official uniform.
The guidelines also state that each tuk-tuk will be painted different colors, depending on its operating zone to prevent operators from crisscrossing or passing through another zone.
The drivers will also be required to display their photo in the tuk-tuk and carry their national ID or valid passport.
Those operating in Mombasa town will be painted green, Nyali Blue, Likoni yellow, Jomvu Orange, Changamwe red and Kisauni blue with yellow stripes.
The Law also states that every tuk-tuk should have three safety belts and registration stickers.
The bill sponsored by nominated MCA Mohamed is expected to take effect in May 2019.
