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The other day I received an email detailing the new rules and fines from Nairobi City Council. I went to their website but could not locate an actual document detailing this but everyone seems to be aware of them so they must have been posted somewhere at some point.
- Pedestrians crossing the roads in Nairobi when traffic light is red – Fine Kshs. 10,000/=
- Motorist moving on when the traffic light is red – Fine Kshs 10,000/=
- Pedestrians crossing the road while talking on their mobile phones – Fine Kshs. 500/=
- Boarding/Alighting at non designated matatu stops - Fine 10,000/=
- Unfastened seat belt - Fine Kshs 500/=
- Worn out tyres (yes that's how tires is spelled over here) - Fine Kshs 10,000/=
- Double parking - Fine Kshs 20,000/=
For anyone who has survived Nairobi roads, the introduction of fines seems sensible enough but lets be real...the cops might need to get a ticket themselves for not following the NCC rules! No. 2 is a very good example - Jonathan and I try very hard to follow that rule but in Nairobi the cops never let motorists follow the lights (which work very well) and instead use hand signals to control traffic. Which voids No.1 because pedestrians get confused as to when they should cross the road...sometimes the cops tell motorists to go on a red light and sometimes on a green light so what's a pedestrian to do? Ok, anyone caught doing a No.3 needs to be doubly fined for stupidity because its nothing short of a death wish to cross Nairobi roads while talking on their celly!
With regards to No. 5, I'm wondering who is going to get charged for "unfastened seat belt". I ride a matatu everyday to work and trust me, on Thika Road you don't have to tell me to fasten my seat belt. However, some of these matatus have actually severed the seat belts while others are so dirty that you risk catching a disease by touching them at all. Others have a belt with a tongue but no buckle and worse some have a belt, tongue, buckle and no adjuster. No adjuster means that even if you strap yourself, the belt will not hold if the matatu comes to a sudden stop...imagine yourself flying through the air! So, in the case of the severed seat belts who will incur the fee during a traffic stop - is it the matatu owner, matatu driver/conductor or the innocent passenger?
