Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Matatus strike over return of Mungiki

Matatus strike over return of Mungiki

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Transport was paralyzed in parts of Nairobi's Eastlands area yesterday as matatu operators withdrew their vehicles to protest a resurgence of the outlawed Mungiki sect members extorting money.

Matatu operators demanded the arrest and prosecution of Water assistant minister Ferdinand Waititu accusing him of inciting Mungiki members to harass and extort money from them, which Waititu vehemently denied.

The call by hundreds of matatu operators came as thousands of commuters trekked long distances to work following an early morning strike by matatu operators.

Instead of pulling cars off the road as usual, leaders of several matatu Saccos drove to the Office of the President at Harambee House where they called on Internal Security minister George Saitoti to take action against the Water Assistant Minister.

The operators were drawn from Kayole, Umoja, Dandora and Kariobangi areas. They said Waititu had incited the dreaded Mungiki members to harass extort from matatu operators on the road.

However, addressing the press at Parliament Buildings, Waititu denied the allegations. He said the operators had fabricated the accusations and that he had only accused police of extrajudicial killings in his area.“Since January, more than 20 young men have been arrested by undercover police who drive a white Toyota Probox. The youths disappear when their families are unable to raise close to Sh100,000 to be given to police to secure their release,” Waititu said.

Waititu was quick to add that he respected matatu operators as they were homegrown investors. However, he would not let the police harass unemployed youth in his populous constituency."I am not fearing arrest, as I believe I am with the people," he said.

During a rally in Nanyuki at the weekend presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Waititu was quoted urging "the youth in the city to go back to the road (matatu routes) and work".

The incident follows a government directive that all matatus join cooperative societies, a move that has cut off organised gangs from extorting money from the operators.

The matatu drivers and conductors yesterday maintained that Waititu was inciting criminal gangs in Embakasi constituency to harass them and extort money.“Many of us (matatu owners) are servicing loans and it is hypocritical for the minister to again incite an outlawed sect to take our hard-earned money from us, we will pull back our vehicles until the government machinery deals ruthlessly with this cartel,” said one of the operators who sought anonymity.

The matatu operators later, in the afternoon, drove in a convoy to the Nairobi Railway Station where they reiterated their demand that Waititu be arrested and charged."We are still consulting and if the youths are allowed to harass us as the government watches, then commuters should brace themselves for tough times in this rainy season," one driver said.

Mungiki extortion gangs disappeared from the Kayole matatu routes last year after a crack operation led by Julius Ndegwa, director of operations at Police Headquarters, and Nairobi PC Njoroge Ndirangu.

This followed a two-day strike by matatu operators protesting illegal levies by Mungiki gangs.

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