Long-distance truck drivers have expressed their fear and concern over the increasing state of insecurity along the Kisumu- Busia Highway and Eldoret- Malaba Highway where truck drivers are being robbed in broad daylight.
According to the Association of Truck Drivers, in the last month, ten drivers have been attacked while on snarl-up with one driver who was wounded losing his life.
The drivers who have reported the matter to security agencies within Busia and even obtained OB numbers are blaming the police for not taking a keen interest in the matter, the move that saw them issue a 14-day strike notice if the matter is not addressed amicably.
Speaking at Malaba One-Stop Border Point (OSBP), the drivers led by their chairperson Peter Tanui noted that the thugs are taking advantage of the traffic snarl-up which has lasted for two weeks to rob them of essential items.
“The numerous police checkpoints and traffic police on the road are not helping the drivers in any way. For them it is all about getting their Ksh50 yet this issue of insecurity they can’t even handle,” said Tanui.
According to Tanui, the thieves are targeting dipsticks and KRA trackers which attract a penalty of Ksh250,000 from KRA if found without the two essential gadgets.
The drivers now want the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and special unit police together with Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) police to have a keen watch on the matter noting that it was possible KRA officials could be colluding with thugs to temper with the gadgets to punish drivers and logistic companies.
Tanui now wants Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and Treasury counterpart John Mbadi to visit Busia and Malaba customs to clean up the mess in KRA offices and also address the persistent problem of scanners which has contributed to the heavy traffic being witnessed in recent days.
The sentiments were echoed by Hosen Adan the SG of the long-distance driver association who also slammed both KRA and URA officials for intentional relaxing and some officials colluding with a few drivers to overlap thus causing accidents.
Adan added that Kenyan drivers face a lot of hostility in South Sudan where the military there and rebel groups are charging drivers 100 to 300 dollars per trip before even again they pay 150 dollars for stamp duty on their passports.
“We are asking our embassy in South Sudan to help negotiate with the government against this harassment. We are losing drivers daily in the hands of rebels and the military who control traffic in Juba,” said Adan.
The association lost two drivers last week and now is appealing to the president to reach out to both Uganda and South Sudan counterparties and save drivers.
“We are not going to continue transporting our goods to South Sudan after 14 days, we can’t keep on risking our lives to grow the economy of our country and bosses yet nobody cares for us,” he added.
Moses Wanja on the other hand blamed the county government of Busia for failing to set up a public toilet and trailer park, a condition which has forced drivers to urinate in water bottles while some just make stopovers anywhere for both long and short calls with no fear.
“It’s a big shame that the county government of Busia has failed to construct a single trailer park or public toilet for drivers to ease themselves while in traffic yet they want us to pay them,” said Wanja.
The 2 weeks traffic has now stretched to Kanduyi and drivers are now foreseeing it to stretch further to Webuye and beyond.
“I arrived at Kanduyi on Friday last week, and three days later I am yet to reach the Malaba border, this is inhuman,” said one driver while expressing his dissatisfaction.
