Matatu operators are celebrating a win after the High Court temporarily halted their eviction from petrol stations in Nairobi's Central Business District, granting them a reprieve to continue their operations.
Speaking outside the court, their lawyer, Danstan Omari, confirmed that Justice Chacha Mwita had issued orders preventing any adverse action against the operators until the matter is fully heard and determined.
Omari explained that his clients had received a summons from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) directing them to vacate their operational bases with immediate effect.
"My clients got a summons to be evicted from their places of operation. The summons were coming from EPRA where they said that they vacate with immediate effect," Omari stated.
In response, the matatu companies filed a petition challenging both EPRA and the Nairobi County Government over the eviction orders.
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"We then filed a petition and sued EPRA together with the County government of Nairobi and we appeared before Judge Chacha Mwita. The Judge has agreed with us and directed the advocates for Nairobi County to ensure no adverse action is taken against my client, the matatu operators, until this matter is heard and determined," the lawyer said.
Justice Mwita went further to order all parties involved; including representatives from EPRA, the matatu operators, petrol stations, and the county government; to convene within seven days to seek an amicable resolution to the dispute.
"The judge has ordered the legal team from EPRA, from the matatu operators, from the petrol stations and from the county government to converge a meeting within seven days on how to resolve this matter and avoid a crisis," Omari revealed.
The lawyer assured commuters that normal operations would continue without disruption.
"As of now, all the matatu operators in Nairobi will resume to their stations, they will be working and picking passengers as they have been, and there won't be problems for public transport users," he confirmed.
Thirteen matatu companies had approached the High Court seeking urgent intervention to prevent EPRA and the Nairobi County Government from implementing a ban on passenger pick-up and drop-off services at fuel stations within the CBD.
The petitioners, ENA Coach, Easy Coach, Mololine, North Rift, GTS Supreme Sacco, Nenus Shuttle, Transline Classic, Prestige Limited, Kangema Sacco, and Super Premium T&T, warned that the directive would paralyze their businesses and severely disrupt essential public transport services.
In their certificate of urgency, the operators described the eviction orders as sudden, lacking proper procedure, and economically devastating to their operations.
They expressed particular concern that enforcing such a ban during the peak festive season could strand thousands of passengers who rely on both long-distance and shuttle services.
The transport companies argued that there had been no documented incidents where their operations at Nairobi petrol stations had compromised public safety, while similar services operated without restriction elsewhere in the country.
Through lawyers Stanley Kinyanjui and Danstan Omari, the petitioners questioned why Nairobi commuters were being treated differently from the rest of the country.
In their court application, the companies requested urgent intervention to prevent irreparable damage, sudden operational shutdowns, and significant financial losses.
The legal team urged the High Court to treat the matter as a priority, warning that any delay in issuing protective orders would make their petition meaningless.
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