High Court to Give Directions in Matatu Saccos’ Urgent Challenge to Nairobi CBD Eviction
The direction comes after two Kenyan citizens, John Karuu and Ezekiel Oyugi, filed a petition claiming to act in the public interest, seeking accountability, transparency, and potential safety threats committed to the City County of Nairobi.
The High Court in Nairobi will give directions in the case where 12 matatu Saccos sought its intervention to elicit the County Government of Nairobi’s action forcing them to vacate their passengers picking point within the city centre on Wednesday.
Sitting at the Milimani Law Court, Justice Chacha Mwita gave directions early today that the pleading be served on all parties and the directions to be provided on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
The matter was certified as urgent, where 12 Saccos, through lawyer Danstan Omari, urged the court to disallow the application since it will disrupt not only services offered to thousands of Kenyans daily but also have a wide impact on the government of the Republic of Kenya.
The direction comes after two Kenyan citizens, John Karuu and Ezekiel Oyugi, filed a petition claiming to act in the public interest, seeking accountability, transparency, and potential safety threats committed to the City County of Nairobi.
The respondents (12 Saccos) had received directives from the County Government of Nairobi and Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) demanding the immediate cessation of their operations involving the picking up and dropping off of passengers at petrol stations in Nairobi CBD.
The Nairobi County Government also sought orders directing the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to revoke operating licenses of Total Energies (Rhino), Ola Energy (Afya Centre), Ola Energy (OTC) and cease operations for non-compliance with safety regulations till proper measures are put in place.
The Sacco leaders of the affected matatus that are plying in different routes in the country claim that they have been operating in the said terminus for years without causing any harm, as alleged by the petitioners.
Represented by lawyers Danstan Omari, Matina Swiga, and Stanley Kinyanjui, the SACCOS that operate within the concerned terminuses have done so for many decades without any incident stemming from any fuel or LPG-related hazards.
The Saccos that have been in operation between 1994 and 2006 consist of more than 1000 vehicles picking up their passengers at petrol stations in the city centre, where two cars enter at a time to evade congestion.
“The vehicles have a parking yard in the Industrial Area in Nairobi where a single vehicle pays a parking fee of Ksh 500 per day to the city government,” Omari said.
Omari had earlier stated that two vehicles at a time enter the terminus to pick up passengers, where no obstruction or danger has been posed.
The operators also indicated that if the services of the Saccos are halted for whatever reason, the shutdown would directly impact 3,485 staff members across the 12 Saccos, resulting in unemployment within the transport industry.
Led by Transline Classic Sacco chairman Wilfred Ondala, Clinton Kioko Wambua of Prestige Sacco and Jackson Mumo of Makos Sacco, they called the court to reject the application since it would affect their lives and economy.
The loss of income would also lead to financial difficulties, limiting access to necessities such as nutrition, education, medical care, and shelter, thereby heightening poverty risks.
