Makau Mutua Recommends Phasing Out Flashy Matatus to Restore Order on Roads
In a statement issued on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Mutua decried the widespread chaos, indiscipline, and visual disarray in Kenya’s key urban centres.
Presidential advisor on constitutional affairs Makau Mutua. Photo/The Star Kenya.
By Juliet Jerotich
Makau Mutua, the Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs in the Executive Office of the President, has urged for a complete transformation of Kenya’s disorderly urban transport system.
He advocates for a shift back to an organized, dependable public transport network and the elimination of flashy, unregulated matatus that currently flood city streets.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Mutua decried the widespread chaos, indiscipline, and visual disarray in Kenya’s key urban centres.
He suggested implementing standardized public service vehicles with uniform colours and restricting the number of licensed operators.
“Let’s restore sanity on roads in Kenya’s major cities/towns by introducing reliable, clean, and timely buses (like KBS), licensing a limited number of matatus that must use identical minibuses with a uniform colour (no odd camouflage or bizarre lighting), and banning boda boda. No pain, no gain!” his statement read in part.
This proposal comes amid ongoing national debate surrounding matatu culture.
Mutua’s latest remarks follow a previous call to ban boda bodas in major towns and cities, arguing that motorcycle taxis contribute to disorder, lawlessness, and lack of road discipline in urban areas.
In a statement made on Thursday, July 17, 2025, Mutua said he firmly believes that boda bodas should be prohibited from operating in urban environments.
He asserted that no modern city should accept the kind of chaos, illegality, aesthetic mess, and lack of discipline that the sector brings.
“I am convinced that all boda boda should be removed from the roads of all major cities and towns in Kenya. No modern city should permit such disorder, illegality, poor aesthetics, and lack of discipline. It is completely unacceptable,” he stated.
His comments sparked backlash from the Boda Boda Association of Kenya (BAK), which accused him of attacking a crucial economic sector that supports millions of livelihoods.
“We strongly condemn Makau Mutua’s recent statement on social media advocating for the banning of all boda bodas from Kenya’s urban centres,” BAK responded in a statement on Friday, July 18, 2025.
“Such statements are not only irresponsible but also highly insensitive, especially coming from a leader in a government that promotes the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), a model that prioritizes the welfare of the ordinary mwananchi,” the association noted.
BAK highlighted the significance of the sector, emphasizing that it sustains over 2 million households across the country.
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