Chaos as Kabaza operators protest in Lilongwe

 There were running battles between police and residents in Lilongwe yesterday when Traffic Police launched an operation to remove unregistered and unlicensed motorcycles operators, popularly known as Kabaza.

This follows a recent ban by Lilongwe City Council (LCC) aimed at restricting Kabaza operators from plying in the capital city’s central business district (CBD-Old Town and City Centre) to reduce road accidents that have been on the rise due to an influx of the motorcycles that are used for public transport in disregard of traffic regulations.

As police pounced on unlicensed drivers and those driving without crash helmets– a fight erupted particularly in Mtandire, Area 49 Road and Area 36.

What started as a Kabaza protest in the morning degenerated into a free-for-all demonstration in Area 36 which has the most motorcycles plying in the CBD and therefore, was the most affected by the council’s decision. Protesters blocked traffic along the busy M1, burning tyres and pelting vehicles and police officers with stones.

From around 9AM to 2PM, police patrolled Area 36 and fired tear gas in residential areas to disburse protesters who seemed unmoved despite many passers-by and residents being affected. For about four hours, the residential area was tear gas infested.

Asked why they were protesting, some Kabaza operators said they cannot afford a driving licence and registration fees, while others accused government of double standards, having failed to deliver on its promise to reduce the operators’ licence and registration fees.

“We are still waiting to hear from government and this is why we are operating without licences. Why are the police chasing us? Government must deliver on its promise. We cannot be operating within locations, then we will not make enough money for our survival,” said one of the operators, who refused to be named.

Addressing a press briefing in Lilongwe last December, Minister of Homeland Security Richard Chimwendo Banda, concerned with increasing cases of road accidents involving Kabaza operators, said his ministry would engage the Ministry of Transport to review the operators’ licence fees, adding that some driving schools had shown interest to start offering training at affordable rates.

In a telephone interview yesterday, the minister said government has finalised discussion and has developed a document that will operationalize more affordable and accessible licences for Kabaza operators.

“That arrangement is on and the Ministry of Transport will soon make the information available to the public. But for now, let them follow the law. Just go around Lilongwe and see for yourself; a motorcycle carrying three passengers without helmets. This is for their own safety. We don’t understand why a helmet should be difficult to put on,” he said.

Asked why it appears that government has long tolerated Kabaza operators’ lawlessness, Chimwendo Banda said he did not want to blame the past administration for the situation as the Tonse Administration’s focus is to “correct such wrongs”.

In an interview, one of the Kabaza owners in Area 36 said most motorcycles are not registered because they are bought from the black market in neighbouring countries.

“I must be honest with you not many can afford to buy a brand new motorcycle, which costs around K800 000. We buy these from dealers in Mozambique who sell them for as cheap as K300 000. In fact, some of these are actually stolen bikes, so to go for registration one may simply land in trouble,” said another protester, who claimed to own two motorcycles.

Random interviews with operators showed that they make between K5 000 and K8 000 a day, but the owners get an agreed fee of K3 000.

Information sourced from the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) shows that motorcycle registration costs around K33 000 while a driver’s license costs about K43 000.

Driving schools charge between K30 000 and K60 000 for motorcycles, but a source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the DRTSS has negotiated for Kabaza operators to pay K15 000.

Meanwhi le, LCC chief executive John Chome said even when the operators get licensed and register their motorcyles, they will not be allowed to operate in the CBDs for the sake of order and safety.

He said in an interview it is expected of motorcycles to ply in locations where there is no public transport and not in the CBDs where there are options.

According to the Ministry of Homeland Security, data from police indicates that accidents involving Kabaza killed 860 people last year in that year alone.