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| Matatus during night traffic in Kenya. The High Court has lifted the night travel ban on Public Service Vehicles (PSV). (Courtesy) |
The High Court has lifted the night travel ban on Public Service Vehicles (PSV).
The ban had been imposed by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on December 31, 2017 following a worrying rise of road accidents that claimed hundreds of lives on the Kenyan roads.
On Thursday, Justice Enoch Chacha Mwita barred NTSA and the National Police Service from effecting the night travel ban.
“Pending the hearing and determination of this case, the court is pleased to suspend NTSA and the police service’s undated as well as unsigned joint press statement which suspended night travel for all long distance Public Service Vehicles from December 31, 2017,” Judge Mwita ruled.
The case had been filed by rights activist Okiya Omtatah who argued that the NTSA ban has affected public travel and greatly hampered the travel business by owners and SACCOs of the PSVs.
“The press statement banning night travel is void for contravening clear provisions of the Constitution and the Fair Administrative Action Act,” Omtatah stated.
On Wednesday, Transport PS Paul Mwangi told a parliamentary committee that the night travel ban of PSVs will be lifted in two weeks’ time after consultative talks with stake holders stating that the ban will be lifted selectively.
