Matatu Sacco Eviction from CBD Petrol Stations Suspended by Court

Justice Enoch Chacha Mwita directed EPRA, the Nairobi City County, not to execute a threat to kick out the matatu Saccos from their picking and dropping points, as it would cause a lot of uncertainty to commuters.

Justice Mwita further ordered the Attorney General, Nairobi City County Lawyers, EPRA lawyers, and Danstan Omari, who represents the 13 Saccos, to meet within seven days and resolve the stalemate occasioned by a notice issued by the Energy Body to the transporters.

EPRA had issued a quit notice to the matatu saccos to vacate the Total Energies and Ola Petrol Stations within the CBD from where they operate. The petrol stations are at Afya Centre along Tom Mboya Street and OTC along Ronald Ngala Street and River Road.

The judge directed the legal team to file a report by December 1, 2025.

“All the lawyers in this litigation, including two interested parties, Ezekiel Oyugi and John Karuu, are hereby directed to hold a consultative meeting within seven days to reach an amicable solution on the quit notice served upon the Saccos by EPRA,” the judge directed.

The court said if a solution is not reached commuters from over 15 counties who alight and board vehicles from these stations will be affected if a solution is not reached.

In the suit filed by the Saccos through lawyer Danstan Omari, the court was urged to prohibit Oyugi, Karuu and the government agencies- EPRA and NEMA from effecting a threat to evict them.

The Saccos also said that seven petrol stations, to wit, Total Kenya Ltd, Ola Energy, Vivo Energy, Rubis Energy, National Oil Corporation of Kenya, Luqman Petroleum Ltd and Astrol Petroleum Ltd, will also be affected by the eviction notice if the court does not intervene.

Justice Mwita heard that besides employees from the affected Saccos losing their jobs, Nairobi City County alone will lose Ksh 291 million in revenue, and the government will lose Ksh 7.1 billion in revenue.

Omari said that over 1000 affected matatus, which operate from these petrol stations, pay annual parking fee of Ksh 124,556,250 million.

The judge heard that the disruption will also cause other service providers like mechanics, hotel industry spare part dealers and hawkers to be affected,

“If services of the saccos are halted for whatever reason, the shutdown would directly impact 3,485 staff members across the saccos, resulting in unemployment within the transport industry,”  the saccos chairman, Clinton Wambua, states in his affidavit.

Wambua further states that the automotive and petroleum sectors will experience an annual income decline of KSh 7,870,220,000.

He added that the saccos have 1,117 Nissan and 124 buses, and they contribute heavily to generating revenue for the economy.

The judge directed all the parties to file written submissions within 14 days and set the hearing on January 26, 2026. He also ordered that another suit filed by Oyugi and Karuu be heard together with the saccos’ petitions before Justice Lawrence Mugambi.

Wambua appealed to the government to intervene to salvage the collapse of the industry, which would have far-reaching effects.