Alarm as reckless matatu crew flout Covid-19 health guidelines

Matatus are emerging as the weak link in the fight against Covid-19 after they were last week allowed to carry full capacity.

Most passengers are complaining that matatu crew are breaking Covid-19 rules by overloading and allowing maskless people to enter vehicles.

On Monday last week, Transport and Health ministries allowed the public service vehicle operators to resume carrying passengers at full capacity after signing an MoU with industry leaders on adherence to protocols put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The MoU listed wearing of face masks as one of the requirements for anyone boarding a matatu. The industry leaders also agreed to use cashless payment systems.

However, a good number of passengers have been boarding matatus without face masks while some conductors are only taking cash, throwing out those seeking to pay via mobile money.

One of the conductors told the Nation that they are not allowing cashless transactions because passengers were reversing payment after paying.

“We don’t know why our leaders agreed to sign for cashless payment yet they know very well the challenges we have had. It is the crew who suffer when passengers reverse transactions,” he said.

Mr Eric Nyaboke, a matatu operator, told the Nation that the sector has suffered since the virus struck last year and it is time to recover the lost money.

Going cashless

“Passengers are aware that we have the virus thus should be putting on their masks. If you cannot be responsible for your own life, why should I do it for you yet I am in business. I will not fail to carry a passenger because they do not have a mask,” Mr Nyaboke, who is a driver in Nairobi, said.

Mr Simon Kimutai, the Matatu Owners Association chairman, said that every operator should be held responsible for their misdeeds.

“Anybody who fails to adhere to the protocols should be punished. We have over 80,000 matatus in the country, most of them are adhering to the measures while a few rogue crew are spoiling our name. This is a matter of life and death, passengers should also not wait to be reminded to take care of their lives,” Mr Kimutai said.

On matters going cashless, Mr Kimutai said it is not practical unless a law is enacted to implement the order.

“We introduced the service since we wanted a solution but every bank wanted to have a way that they can generate money from us. We had over 18 service providers, who do you choose? ” he posed.

He said matatu owners also don’t want cashless payment since it is a direct way of stealing from them.

The situation is happening at a time the country is recording high number of cases and mortality due to Covid-19.

Hawking inside matatus

Yesterday, 2.3 million people had received their vaccines, with 773,061 of them being fully vaccinated, said the Health CS Mutahi Kagwe.

The highest proportion of fully vaccinated population was in Nairobi County at 8.20 per cent and the least was in Marsabit County 0.30 per cent.

Experts say the risk of transmission of Covid-19 depends on how crowded a matatu is, how far away passengers sit from each other and whether the occupants are wearing face masks.

“Social distancing and wearing of face masks is one way of beating the virus. If we are not putting on face masks and sitting in crowded matatus, then we are brewing another wave. Even when in matatus, ensure your mask is on,” said Prof Matilu Mwau, an infectious diseases expert and researcher at Kenya Medical Research Institute.

The MoU signed by 10 representatives of the matatu industry and officials from the Health, Transport and Interior ministries banned eating, drinking or smoking in vehicles and stresses wearing of face masks at all times inside matatus.

A spot check, however, revealed that hawking of sweets and face masks is still going on inside matatus of people and there are no announcements reminding people to put on face masks.

Passengers have to use hand sanitisers before boarding and have their temperature reading taken.

All the windows must be kept open to let in fresh air and to minimise air recirculation, the MoU further states.

The proportion of health care workers who were fully vaccinated were highest at 68.2 per cent followed by the elderly above 58 years who registered 64 per cent, teachers 59 per cent, security officers 58 per cent with others (where the matatu crew belong) at 41 per cent.

Since March 13, 2020 when the first case was confirmed in Kenya, a total of 224400 confirmed cases and 4378 deaths have been recorded giving a case fatality rate of two per cent. Of the positive cases, 217819 cases (97 per cent) were local transmissions and 6580 (three per cent) are imported cases.

Experts say the risk of transmission of Covid-19 depends on how crowded a matatu is, how far away one stays from others and whether the occupants are wearing facemasks.

“Social distancing and wearing of facemasks is one way of beating the virus. If we are not putting on facemasks and sitting in crowded matatus, then we are brewing another wave. Even when in matatus, ensure your mask is on,” said Prof Matilu Mwau, an infectious diseases expert and researcher at Kenya Medical Research Institute.

Kenyans have been tweeting photos of packed matatus with some passengers and crew not wearing facemasks.

 Smoking

The MoU signed by 10 representatives of the matatu industry and officials from the Health, Transport and Interior ministries ban eating, drinking or smoking in vehicles and stresses on wearing of facemasks at all times inside matatus.

 “Hawking, preaching and begging on board are prohibited to reduce the risk of infection in transit and the vehicles should minimise stopovers and picking up people,” the MoU states.

 Passengers have to use hand sanitisers before boarding and have their temperature reading taken.

 All the windows must be kept open to let in fresh air and to minimise air recirculation, the MoU further states.

  “Making on-board announcements reminding passengers of the need to mask throughout the journey and disinfecting of the vehicles after every trip is encouraged,” the MoU adds.

 A spot check, however, revealed that hawking of sweets and facemasks is still going on inside matatus and there are no announcements reminding people to put on facemasks.

 Wearing face masks

“I wish we were strictly following the laid-down measures, but the crew are not serious about the measures,” said Elizabeth Ochieng, who boarded a matatu at Donholm stage in Nairobi and had to sit next to someone who was not wearing a facemask.

However, for Ms Linet Wambura, she sat at the entrance of a matatu ensuring that after all the seats are occupied no passenger would be allowed to get in or no hawker gets into the matatu.

She has a few masks. On realising that a passenger does not have one, she hands over a mask.

 “We have to be responsible and take charge of our lives, I only do this when I am boarding a matatu and people are not adhering to the measures. Yesterday, I gave out three masks to passengers who had no masks,” she said

She added: “For the hawkers, I just don’t open the door since I sit on the first seat at the entrance. I also ensure that the conductor has a mask on.”

Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said the operators had agreed to adhere to the measures put in place by the Ministry of Health. He warned of stricter rules for matatus that flout the protocols.

“They agreed to these protocols before the measures were relaxed. If they cannot adhere to them, then we shall go back to where we were, it is just a matter of making the announcement,” Mr Macharia said.

Rogue crew members

“When they were carrying at half capacity, matatus complained and now they have been allowed to carry to full capacity with the measures on and they are abusing that, we will have to do a crackdown, let them just joke around,” the minister warned.

Health Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe said there are just a few rogue crew members who would not want to listen.

 “Matatu owners have been pleading that we allow them to carry to capacity and we opened that window with strict directives which they appended their signatures, it would be wrong to go back to where we were just because of a few individuals, protect your fellow Kenyan or we will be forced to act,” he said

He told passengers too to be responsible and ensure they always wear their masks throughout the journey.

 “If the matatu is full, why would you get in, why would you sit next to someone without a mask, if they are not masking properly just request them to cover their nose and mouth, by doing this, you are protecting yourself and the person sited next to you,” Mr Kagwe said.