Touts and Drivers to Wear Uniforms With Phone Numbers

A controversial suggestion to require matatu touts and conductors to don uniforms displaying their names and phone numbers has stirred controversy in the industry.

Professor Margaret Kamar, a Jubilee Nominated Senator, presented this proposal in the Senate on Thursday, urging an inquiry into the matatu sector to reinstate order.

She emphasized that implementing this measure could curb unruly individuals responsible for disrupting the sector and causing a rise in passenger harassment incidents.

“The Senators should go incognito and board matatus to know whether the rules are been adhered to by matatu drivers and conductors. Women have had a raw deal in this public transport.

“We’ve encountered instances where individuals sit on others, engage in inappropriate touching, and witness cases of overloading,” she detailed.

“To address this, matatu touts should be mandated to display their names and contact information on uniforms. This transparency would deter inappropriate behavior, as they often act with impunity, thinking they go unnoticed. The prevalence of social media provides a platform to expose such incidents.”

Kamar additionally pressed for immediate reforms in the sector to reinstate order and promote a sense of sanity.

“Because we are a service nation, can we have these people work like waiters with name tags?” she added.

The professor highlighted the recent case along Thika Road, where a female passenger was assaulted by a matatu tout for declining to board the vehicle.

Her proposal has, however, been dismissed by matatu stakeholders who noted that the offences are mainly carried out by criminals and not the Public Service Vehicle (PSV) crew.