Leaders of the Meru Matatu Owners Association have issued a public apology to Imenti North MP Rahim Dawood following the chaotic scenes witnessed in Makutano where protesters turned against the legislator as he attempted to address residents.
Speaking during a press briefing convened to announce the temporary suspension of the public service vehicle strike in Meru County, the association’s chairperson Peter Gitonga strongly condemned the incident, distancing the matatu operators from the actions that unfolded during the demonstrations.
Gitonga said the attack against the MP does not reflect the intentions of the Matatu sector who had participated in the industrial action, maintaining that Dawood had not approached residents for political mileage but had instead appeared to stand in solidarity with members of the public.
In addition, the officials took the unusual step of publicly asking for forgiveness from affected business owners who suffered loss after the aftermath of the demonstrations.
“We condemn the attack on Rahim Dawood yesterday because it did not make us happy. Rahim was not doing it because of politics but rather as a way of standing with the people,” said Peter Gitonga.
The association’s leadership also used the briefing to address the destruction of businesses and private property in the county following the demonstrations.
The officials openly criticized protesters who allegedly took advantage of the demonstrations to vandalize shops and damage livelihoods, arguing that the strike had never been intended to target innocent traders.
Gitonga said the organization has from the onset warned against acts of destruction and insisted that anyone found responsible should face legal consequences.
He noted that support for the strike should not be confused with support for criminal activity, and no leader within the association would shield individuals accused of causing losses to business owners.
“We as matatu owners’ leaders do not support any type of property destruction and that is why we had announced that whoever is caught destroying other people’s properties should be arrested and action taken against them,” said Gitonga.
They emphasized that they have chosen to call off the action temporarily as a demonstration of goodwill and respect for government processes while giving room for further negotiations.
Moreover, the officials noted that they had agreed to suspend the strike for one week following consultations with national leadership and engagement with government officials over fuel prices.
They however admitted that they remain dissatisfied with the government’s response, arguing that the announced reduction is very minimal. Diesel prices was too small to address the concerns raised by operators.
“Even that reduction of 10 shillings on diesel that the government provided, we are not satisfied, but our aim is also to be obedient to the government, which has promised that within one week they will have discussions with our leaders so that they accept to lower the prices below 200,” said Peter Gitonga.
Association secretary Joseph Bundi acknowledged that although the strike had been organized as a peaceful withdrawal of transport services, some individuals infiltrated the protests and engaged in acts that went beyond the group’s intentions. Bundi said the leadership regrets the losses suffered and appealed to traders to separate peaceful protesters from those responsible for the destruction.
“As the chairperson has said, we ask for forgiveness in the case that there are one or two people who could have destroyed other people’s properties because our strike was clearly shown by us parking our vehicles,” said Joseph Bundi.
The association warned that the suspension should not be interpreted as the end of the matter, saying a fresh strike could be considered if negotiations fail to yield a solution after the agreed period. They thanked members of the public for supporting the demonstrations and expressed hope that normal transport operations and business activity would return across Meru County
