Matatus conduct sign of social contract decay
The two matatus christened Moneyfest and Ambush which ply the City Center-Rongai route in Nairobi.
Two matatu drivers plying the Ongata Rongai route were recently arrested and charged for flagrantly flouting traffic rules. The two were caught on camera driving on the wrong side of the road while carrying people on the roofs of their vehicles.
The actions are merely a symptom of widespread systemic collapse egged on by lack of enforcement of laws. The degree of failure of the law cannot be distilled by this single incident, but it epitomises the crumbling social contract under the Kenya Kwanza regime.
Although these kinds of violations have been captured myriads of times, the daylight subversion of road rules with absolute impunity seems to demonstrate an emboldened group. Often, the main culprits are leaders in SUVs driving on the wrong side of the road during even though there are clear provisions on who can flout traffic rules and when.
The fact that drivers drive on the wrong side and scamper back to their lanes only when they see a traffic police officer, is telling—they will only comply when there is an immediate deterrent. In the case of the matatus, the dangerous conduct stems from the daily bribes to police officers. These incidents of bribery have been frequently captured on camera and broadcast on prime-time news.
In addition, the frequent conflict of interest in the ownership of vehicles by some police officers and other leaders perpetuates the abuse of power.
The issue here is systemic and structural—the system that does not hold to account reckless drivers and the police who are mandated to uphold the law fail either by design or lack of capacity. This results in erosion of the system by those in power, which then trickles down and becomes a norm.
When systems and structures fail, the people tend to resorts to unconventional restorative actions—remember the Finance Bill 2024? When a system cannot be relied upon because powerful individuals and groups manipulate it at whim, then a free for all ensues. The social contract is unravelled by incremental acts that both undermine systems and structures within the society.
The silver lining is that not all is lost— power remains in the hands of the citizenry. And actions by citizens can still spark results.
Robert Mwanyumba, Transparency International
