Hundreds of travelers in Kisumu County were stranded today morning due to a strike by matatu operators following the re-routing done by the County Government a fortnight ago.
Chairman of Kisumu Matatu Association Bob Andala explained that the rerouting has inflicted massive losses to the sector since the travelers opted to use alternative modes of transport due to the long distances they have to walk to access the new stages.
Andala stated that they complied with the county government’s directives to reroute following the Africities summit, which was held two weeks ago, and expected to resume their normal routes along the Jomo Kenyatta Highway –Angawa Avenue after the summit, but the county government has declined to let them use the usual routes leading to the Monday morning strike.
“The city manager has agreed to sit down for to chart the forward and I’m requesting you to resume duties as we go and find a solution that will benefit all of us,” said Andala.
The city manager urged the matatu operators to maintain calmness as they were going to hold talks with two representatives from each route in order to reach an agreement.
“This is a meeting for the Matatu operators not for politics so let us maintain peace as we go for dialogues with your representatives,” Andala stated.
Despite the promise of talks by the city manager to reach an agreement, the drivers and conductors of these matatus have refused to cooperate claiming that they would only resume their duties if their pleas are heard and acted upon.
