Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen Tuesday suspended the ongoing retesting of Long Distance Drivers and Conductors in a move that was aimed at averting a planned strike.
The Long Distance Drivers and Conductors planned a countrywide strike on July 12, 2023, to protest the exercise.
Hours before the start of the strike Murkomen said his Ministry and the stakeholders had agreed on the formation of a multi-agency committee that will among others review the grievances raised by the drivers and conductors, a copy of which has been submitted to my office today 1st July 2023 at 3.00 pm.
“We have agreed as well that they shall submit the names of the officials representing all the industry players by st August 2023.”
“The exercise will take 14 days and the report with recommendations submitted for further decision-making.
Taking note of the above, I hereby halt the retesting of drivers until 1st September 2023 to give the multi-agency committee time to address the rising concerns,” he said.
He said the driver re-testing process commenced on 9th June 2023 and since then 1,847 PSV drivers have completed the process showing an average pass rate of 31 percent.
This mainly involved re-testing of Public Service Vehicle drivers including drivers of school transportation, he said.
The strike could have caused a standstill and led to losses in revenue following a new directive by National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA)
The group had expressed concerns about the directive by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on mandatory re-testing for drivers.
The directive requires drivers with class B3, D1, D2, D3, C, C1, C2, CE, and CD licenses to undergo re-testing every three years upon the expiry of their licenses.
The association termed the directive punitive.
Also, read;
Groups Condemn Police For Brutality And Call On Kenyans To Defend Democracy, Rights
They said it will be a financial burden on drivers already earning low incomes.
“We propose that the Ministry of Transport and the NTSA introduce free refresher courses for PSV drivers as a continuous road safety training alternative, rather than imposing costly re-testing,” the group said in a statement.
They issued a 21-day strike notice, beginning June 21 urging the withdrawal of the directive to avoid industrial action.
“There should be a constructive dialogue between the ministry, NTSA, and stakeholders to address concerns and find mutually beneficial solutions that prioritize road safety while supporting drivers’ well-being, the association said.
The periodic retest will be mandatory, conducted every three years before a driver renews their license.
The drivers targeted are those of matatus, taxis, commercial and school buses, NTSA revealed in a statement.
Drivers will be required to apply online via their e-citizen accounts at a fee of Sh1,050.
NTSA Deputy Director and Head of Safety Compliance, Driver Training, and Testing Wilson Tuigong said out of the 302 drivers tested on Tuesday, only 54 passed.
