Planting the Seeds of a Just Public Transport System in Makueni County
Background: Where Movement Meets Meaning
Movement is more than travel.
It is dignity in motion.
It is the difference between opportunity reached and opportunity missed.
In Makueni County, public transport is the invisible thread that binds livelihoods, education, healthcare, and community life. Every morning, matatu drivers start their engines, boda boda riders weave through towns and villages, tuk-tuks ferry passengers across short distances, and probox drivers fill the gaps left by high-capacity systems. Yet behind this constant motion lies a deeper question: Who is this system truly serving—and who is left behind?
Drawing lessons from policy engagements in Machakos and Nakuru, Flone Initiative observed a recurring challenge: citizens were often invited into public participation spaces without first being equipped with the knowledge to meaningfully engage. Conversations about safety, accessibility, inclusion, and sustainability could not take root without a shared understanding of what a just public transport system looks like.
It was from this realization that the seeds of the Makueni sensitization forums were planted.
The Journey: Conversations That Shifted Mindsets
In partnership with the Government of Makueni County and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) – Lower Eastern Region, Flone Initiative conducted a week-long series of sensitization forums across the county’s six sub-counties.
A total of 374 public transport operators participated—matatu drivers, SACCO managers and clerks, boda boda riders and owners, tuk-tuk operators, probox drivers, and 15 women operators. The forums also intentionally included persons with disabilities, whose voices are too often absent from transport planning spaces.
These sessions were not lectures. They were conversations.
Conversations about:
- Safety on roads shared by many and protected by few
- Zero tolerance for sexual and gender-based violence
- Equality and non-discrimination in service delivery
- Environmental conservation and the promise of e-mobility
- Professionalism and customer dignity
- Accessibility for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups
At the heart of the forums was a simple but powerful idea: every daily decision made by a transport operator shapes the public transport system we all experience.
The discussions surfaced hard truths. Boda boda operations remain largely unregulated, increasing safety risks. Small private vehicles are increasingly replacing high-capacity public transport, worsening congestion and inefficiency. Women and persons with disabilities remain significantly underrepresented in the transport workforce. Training gaps—especially on road safety—persist.
Yet alongside these challenges emerged clarity, ownership and resolve.
Local Champions, Local Change
From these forums emerged a group of committed operators who chose to go beyond attendance and step into leadership. They named themselves:
“Mabalozi wa Usawa na Kutobagua, Usalama Barabarani, Huduma Nzuri kwa Wateja, na Uhifadhi wa Mazingira.”
Champions of equality, safety, dignity, and sustainability.
Their role is simple but transformative: to cascade knowledge, model better practices, and hold their peers accountable long after the forums have ended.
The impact was measurable. Pre- and post-forum evaluations showed a remarkable increase in awareness of the principles of a just public transport system across all sub-counties:
- Kibwezi East: from 42% to 76%
- Kibwezi West: from 45% to 86%
- Mbooni: from 35% to 74%
- Kaiti: from 33% to 71%
Across the county, awareness rose from an average of just over 50% to nearly 80%.
These numbers tell a story of possibility—of what happens when information meets intention.
Looking Ahead: From Sensitization to Systems Change
The sensitization forums were not an end in themselves. They were a beginning.
They laid the foundation for meaningful public participation in the ongoing development of the Makueni County Public Transport Policy—a policy anchored on safety, inclusion, accessibility, sustainability, and accountability.
Key recommendations emerging from the forums include:
- The need for designated routes and pick-up points for boda boda operations
- Investment in e-mobility infrastructure and county-wide awareness to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Targeted training for boda boda riders, especially on road safety
- A harmonized county legal and institutional framework to regulate public transport operations
- Stronger gender mainstreaming and disability inclusion within the transport workforce
- The establishment of a standalone public participation space for boda boda riders, recognizing their unique realities
- Consideration of a dedicated County Executive Committee portfolio for the boda boda sector, drawing lessons from best practices in Kitui County
As the year turns, Makueni County stands at the threshold of a new chapter—one where policy is informed by people and mobility is shaped by justice.
The Journey Continues
A just public transport system is not built overnight.
It is built through listening.
Through learning.
Through choosing inclusion over convenience and safety over speed.
Makueni County is showing what is possible when local government, civil society and transport operators walk the journey together. As we look ahead to the launch of the county’s public transport policy, we invite all stakeholders—operators, citizens, planners and partners—to join hands.
Because when transport works for the most vulnerable, it works for everyone.
And when movement is just, dignity travels with it.