Matatu operators may miss out on digital traffic ticketing and new safeguards against repeated police roadside stops after a parliamentary committee rejected proposals to introduce the changes through amendments to the Traffic Act.
The Matatu Owners Association (MOA) had asked lawmakers to introduce digital traffic enforcement systems, including electronic ticketing and digital records, through collaboration between the National Police Service (NPS) and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
The proposals were meant to change how traffic offences are recorded and enforced, with operators seeking a system that would reduce reliance on manual processes during roadside checks.
The decision leaves NTSA and the police with their current enforcement arrangements intact.
NTSA has already rolled out an instant fines system backed by more than 1,000 smart cameras that can detect at least 37 traffic offences in real time.
Drivers who ignore the penalties will be restricted from transactions on NTSA platforms until the fines are paid.
In March, the Federation of Public Transport Sector urged NTSA to clarify how responsibility will be shared among vehicle owners, drivers and Sacco management.
It also called for a consultative meeting involving NTSA, the Judiciary and the National Police Service to harmonise enforcement procedures.
In an earlier dispute over digital speed governors, operators said rushed implementation cost the industry Sh2.4 billion a month.
Separately, the NTSA (Amendment) Bill, 2023 would give NTSA powers to regulate matatu fares.
The Transport committee once rejected it, but MPs were later reported to be moving closer to passing it.
Matatu operators rejected that fares plan in July, saying they had not been involved and no public participation had been conducted.
The rejection comes as NTSA continues expanding automated enforcement, meaning operators face digital penalties while their own proposals for digital safeguards have been turned down.
It is unclear whether MOA will push the proposals again before the full House.
For now, matatu crews keep facing manual roadside checks as the debate over fair enforcement continues.
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