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It's Getting Noisy!

The other day my mum came over with a throbbing headache. She had, on this occasion, chosen to take the bus home. 

"I left the car," she said. "Driving in traffic after a long day makes me too tired."
"Okay...how was it?"
"Too loud! The music of your generation is terrible, nothing but noise."
"It's just different from yours mum..."
"Don't get me started on the rowdy youth at the door. Must they hang on a moving vehicle like that, shouting every stage name and hitting the sides of the bus every two seconds?!?"

I had no kind words for that. It was true. I too have found it annoyingly loud and disruptive on several occasions. It is extremely difficult to have a nice read, meditate or take a quick nap in a matatu with all this going on. I remembered one time being seated next to the door and all I could do to stop myself from jumping out the window was put on my ear phones and play a game. The struggle was real.

"I really miss Michuki. When he was the minister for transport things were so much better. Have you heard those things hooting...that kind of horn should be illegal," she continued passionately. "Michuki brought order to the transport system..."

Those words marked the end of her ten minute rant, she went to bed with a defeated drag in her steps sparking off a train of thoughts in my mind. Mum was right (isn't she always).
While some of us may have the luxury of not experiencing the infamous "matatu experience" on a daily basis, for majority of Kenyans this is the reality. I was quite excited back in 2014 when H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta and Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore boarded a matatu which took them from State House to KICC to attend the launch of the universal cashless payment system MY 1963 card. It was all smiles and selfies, foretelling a brighter future for the industry and a strong commitment by the government to improve the transport system in the country. These hopes are yet to be realized.
Credits: PSCU
While it is important to acknowledge the many complex issues facing our transport sector and the challenges in addressing them, we do have strong policies and legal provisions which the government and relevant authorities ought to enforce. One of the most conspicuous transportation issues, and the easiest to solve, is noise pollution.

The Environmental Management & Coordination (Noise, Excessive Vibration Pollution) (Control) Regulations Article 3 states that "no person shall make or cause to be made any loud, unreasonable, unnecessary or unusual noise which annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health or safety of others and the environment." It continues in Article 12 that "No person shall operate a motor vehicle which- (a) produces any loud and unusual sound; and (b) exceeds 84 dB(A) when accelerating. (2) No person shall at any time sound the horn or other warning device of a vehicle except when necessary to prevent an accident or an incident." and proceeds to state the repercussions thereof.

We have the necessary framework to deal with noise pollution not only in the transport sector but across the board. This is not a case of lack of policy or legal backing but a case of inadequate enforcement. Can the relevant authority please stand up?


















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