Road safety and health experts have asked the incoming Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration to implement a balanced strategy to regulate the booming but chaotic motorcycle taxi (kabaza) industry.
The experts note that while the kabazas offer affordable mobility, they have become a major public safety crisis that needs to be regulated to ensure sanity.
In separate interviews yesterday, road safety and health specialists agreed that a dual approach, notably recognising the sector’s economic role while enforcing safety standards is no longer a choice, but a necessity.
Road safety expert Steve Mwandama said government must first launch a sensitisation campaign followed by mandatory registration, affordable practical training and insurance.
He said enforcement must be fair because motorcycle riders are mostly spared on the roads by traffic police officers while minibuses are charged for exceeding capacity.
Said Mwandama: “Government alone cannot fight this battle; associations will also assist to make sure that all riders are adhering to the rules. Government must also prepare practical training for these riders at a cheaper price so that everyone can easily afford it. Insurance is one important thing because when an accident happens passengers and the rider will be covered.”
In a separate interview, Malawi Health Equity Network executive director George Jobe echoed the safety concerns, saying the issue is both a health and safety concern as well as a livelihood matter.
“Unregulated operations increase risks of road accidents, injuries, deaths and even transmission of infectious diseases due to the overcrowding,” he said.
Meanwhile, Malawi Coalition for Kabaza Stakeholders Association chairperson Moses Mwalabu has appealed for understanding from the new administration, saying the current cost of registering a kabaza is too high for most riders.
“The K56 000 and K77 000 that we pay is still on the higher side and the new administration should consider revising downwards or let us register for free considering that most of our motorcycles are old and worn out,” he said.
As of July this year, government had registered about 12 000 motorcycles during a four-month amnesty extended to kabaza operators.
The government is pushing each motorcycle to have two, which may cost between K50 000 and K60 000.
Kabaza-related accidents remain a significant public health crisis.
Between 2020 and 2023, over 4 566 accidents resulted in 472 deaths. In the first quarter of this year, police recorded 227 kabaza accidents.
