Failure To Wear Safety Belts To Cost You 500 Shillings

Passengers who will fail to wear their safety belts in public service vehicles will have to part with 500 shillings instant fine starting Monday morning.

In the new traffic rules, commonly known as the Michuki Rules, and which the government has vowed to implement them fully, failure to wear safety belts attracts a fine of 500 shillings.

Failure to wear safety belts has been attributed to increased deaths on Kenyan roads in the event of a vehicle veering off the road and rolling.

All public service vehicles were given until Monday (12th November) to install latest speed governors as well as safety belts on their vehicles. PSVs will be required to move at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour.

The vehicles will also be required to have a yellow continuous line with drivers and conductors required to be in uniforms. Drivers will also have to prominently display their photographs.

Matatus owners have threatened that they will withdraw their vehicles from the roads on Monday to protest the move, something that might see most Kenyans forced to either walk to work or work from their homes.

The government has said that efforts to restore sanity on Kenyan roads will continue and that no amount of blackmail will sway the organs mandated to implement the law.

In what might bring reprieve to both PSV owners and the passengers, the government has vowed to completely eliminate cartels in the matatu sector who have been forcing drivers and conductors to pay certain ‘fees’ with no service rendered.

Touting will also be a crime from Monday. Those who will be found touting will be charged an instant fine of 3,000 shillings.

Matatus will be required to pick and drop passengers at designated places without people making noise or forcing passengers to board certain vehicles.