A planned strike scheduled on July 26 by motorists did not take place after the Matatu Owners Association decided to call it off.
Led by their president Albert Karagacha, the association stated that after a meeting with the Ministry of Transport, they chose to give the government more time to solve fuel levy issues.
MOA has now given the government three weeks to address the raised concerns majorly stemming from the recent increase in the road maintenance levy.
However, the Matatu Workers Association and the Motorists Association of Kenya accused the Matatu Owners Association of siding with the government, labeling them as a cartel that has delayed necessary changes in the transport industry.
This development came after the recent increase of the road maintenance levy by Ksh 7.
After their meeting with the Ministry of Transport, MOA released a statement on July 25 announcing that the planned nationwide strike had been called off.
Matatus Owners Call Off Strike
“We are businessmen, and we are going to work very closely with the government because we must support the government,” Karagacha noted.
On their part, members of the Motorists Association of Kenya noted that officials from the Matatu Owners Association were initially upset about the road maintenance levy increase but seemed to change their minds just a week later.
“We call them cartels because they have remained there, you can see they are old faces who have remained within the sector and they don’t want anybody else, in fact even the younger generation to come and take that.
Also Read: Matatus, Taxis, Bodabodas and Trucks Announce Countrywide Protests
“They are in their fourth plus decade in that sector holding a stranglehold,” Chairperson for Motorists Association of Kenya Peter Murima noted.
EPRA Increases Levy
Drivers and conductors, represented by the Matatu Workers Union and the Long-Distance Drivers and Conductors Association, equally expressed their disappointment, stating that the vehicle owners did not seem anxious about the situation and instead shifted the burden onto them.
This comes after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) made the announcement on Sunday, July 14, 2024, indicating an increase in the road maintenance levy by Ksh.7, when it reviewed fuel prices for the July – August cycle.
Also Read: CBK Reveals Latest Trend in Global Oil Prices Ahead of EPRA Review
EPRA increased the levy by 35% despite earlier reassurance by the government that it would consider not raising the levy following public uproar from Kenyans.
The increase of the levy came following a proposal by the Kenya Roads Board (KRB) which had proposed a 39 per cent increase levy that was initially set at Ksh18 per liter.
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