Pressure Mounts on NTSA as Mombasa Tuk-Tuk Operators Threaten Countywide Strike Over ‘Punitive’ Instant Fines
Pressure is mounting on the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) after tuk-tuk operators in Mombasa County issued a seven-day ultimatum, warning they will paralyse transport services unless what they describe as punitive regulations are withdrawn.
The operators, represented by the Boda Boda and Tuk Tuk Transport Cooperative Union of Kenya (BOTUK), have demanded that the county government intervene to halt the implementation of the NTSA Instant Fines Management System, arguing that the new enforcement regime is threatening the survival of thousands of small transport businesses.
Speaking on Sunday, July 6, BOTUK Secretary Morara Omanga said operators were prepared to stage a major demonstration by parking hundreds of tuk-tuks outside county government offices if their concerns were ignored.
“We will put transport activities in this county to a standstill and bring all our tuk-tuks to the county government offices so that you see how serious we are,” Omanga warned.
At the centre of the dispute is NTSA’s Instant Fines Management System, a digital enforcement platform designed to improve road safety by issuing instant penalties for traffic violations detected electronically.
However, operators argue that the system imposes a Ksh5,000 penalty for every recorded offence, creating an unbearable financial burden, particularly for owners managing multiple vehicles.
Omanga explained that an operator with five tuk-tuks could accumulate Ksh25,000 in penalties almost immediately if each vehicle is cited separately.
“If a tuk-tuk owner has five vehicles and each receives a Ksh5,000 fine, the cost becomes extremely expensive and makes it difficult to continue operating the business,” he said.
The union also expressed concern over what it describes as excessive surveillance through speed cameras installed across the county. According to the operators, the cameras repeatedly capture images of their vehicles throughout the day, raising fears over how the collected data could be used by both NTSA and county authorities.
In addition to the fines, the operators say they are struggling with high operational costs, including parking charges of Ksh5,000 per vehicle, which they argue have further squeezed already thin profit margins.
BOTUK further accused county officials of excluding operators from consultations before introducing measures that directly affect their businesses and livelihoods.
The dispute has also taken a legal dimension. The union claims that despite a court order issued on June 30 suspending the implementation of the disputed fines, some officials have continued demanding payment, creating confusion and frustration among operators.
Beyond the financial implications, the union warned that rising compliance and registration costs could have wider social consequences by locking young people out of employment opportunities.
“The new registration costs for tuk-tuks are also expensive. This situation could force many Mombasa youths back into crime because they will lose their source of income, and that is something we do not want,” the union said.
The latest standoff threatens to disrupt transport services in Kenya’s second-largest city if negotiations fail within the seven-day deadline. Thousands of commuters rely on tuk-tuks every day for short-distance travel, making the sector a critical part of Mombasa’s public transport network.
Neither NTSA nor the Mombasa County Government had publicly responded to the operators’ demands at the time of publication.
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