>>BY ALICE TECY>>
Mombasa truck drivers are planning to hold protests on the 12th of this month for allegedly not being involved in the making of new policies concerning the sector.
Speaking in Mombasa, the drivers, led by ‘Eyes of Drivers Kenya’, Chair Peter Tanui, complained of not being consulted when coming up with the new directives.
In the Tuesday meeting with truck drivers, Tanui alias Mafia said there was no public participation.
“We are suffering due to harassment by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), lack of enough parking for the trailers, poor infrastructure, renewal of license and going back to school yet we already passed the test years ago,” said Peter Tanui.
Anthony Mwangi, a truck driver, said the government was implementing policies without involving them.
He alleged that their stamps have been removed from their license hence affecting them as drivers anytime they travel to other countries.
The new directives given by Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen came in the wake of an accident in Londiani that left 52 people dead and 32 others injured.
Among the directives was that the re-testing of PSV and commercial service vehicle drivers continue as a way of assessing their competency before the renewal of driving licenses.
“The Ministry in consultation with various stakeholders to finalize the development of the NTSA Operation of Commercial Service Vehicles Regulations,” directed CS Murkomen.
Meanwhile, all PSVs, commercial vehicles, and school buses will soon need to install cameras in the vehicles.
Speaking in Kericho during the interdenominational church service and prayers for the victims and families of those who died following the Londiani accident, CS Murkomen said that the government will remove all markets from the road reserves.
“My Ministry will soon come up with new regulations that among others will make it mandatory to fit all PSV, Commercial, and school transport vehicles with dashboard cameras and vehicle telematics full with GPS, black box recorder transmitting data such as speed, location maintenance, and servicing history of the vehicle,” said CS Murkomen.
