The NTSA Director of Motor Vehicle Inspection Gerald Wangai said the operators had three months within which their matatus could undergo the inspection/FRANCIS MBATHA
Following the inspection, which among other things seeks to establish if the vehicles are fitted with digital speed governors, the PSVs are due to be issued with a compliance certificate BY the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
Many vehicle owners told Capital FM News that there were undue delays since some of them had not been attended to several hours after reporting for the inspection.
“I came here at 4am with my vehicle which plies the Githurai 44 route. Up until now (10.30am) we have not been served because there are many vehicles,” said James Otieno one of the matatu owners.
“This life is getting very difficult and the inspection officers are very few. Right now we have only four of them doing the inspection and as you can see, there are more than 100 matatus,” Jared Musyoka another owner stated.
“They should extend the period of time for inspection by even two weeks to enable us get the necessary certificate. Right now we are wasting a lot of time and you know that time wasted will never be recovered.”
The NTSA Director of Motor Vehicle Inspection Gerald Wangai indicated that the congestion was as a result of a last minute rush by the operators who had three months within which their matatus could undergo inspection.
“If they had been coming throughout the three months, we would be having a lot of vehicles which have complied. You however find that many of them came within the last week. People should be bringing their motor vehicles early so that you do not come in at the last minute and start queuing,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by the Authority’s Chairman Lee Kinyanjui who ruled out any extension while stating that the vehicle owners had been given enough time to comply with the regulations.
“Until the last one week or even two weeks, the compliance has been very low. In fact, there has been literally nobody even coming to bring their vehicles for inspection for the purpose of compliance. In the last week is when we now see a lot of activity and now is when they want us to extend the time,” he said.
Kinyanjui stated that they should have used the period given to ensure that they get their compliance certificates instead of rushing at the last minute.
PSV owners will have to provide evidence of compliance with laws on minimum labour standards, statutory deductions, tax, health and safety at work.
An office and management system from where all the activities will be answerable on demand will be required. The operators will also have to operate a cashless or other pre-paid payment system.
The operators will also display an identification sticker approved by the NTSA adhering to the approved schedules, timetables and routes.
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