Minister Ben Phiri demands Malawi copy Rwanda’s iron-fist crackdown on kabaza chaos
Malawi’s Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dr Ben Malunga Phiri, has issued a stark warning over the dangers of the country’s motorcycle taxi industry, urging kabaza operators to take a leaf out of Rwanda’s book, where strict government regulations have forced riders to adhere to strict safety and order standards.
Dr Phiri delivered the blunt assessment on Wednesday in Lilongwe, addressing the National Leaders and Stakeholders Conference organised by the Malawi Coalition for Kabaza Stakeholders and Associations (MACOKASA), held under the theme “Transforming Kabaza into a Safe, Unified, and Formalized Economic Engine.”
The Minister did not mince his words when describing the current state of Malawi’s kabaza sector, painting a grim picture of an industry riddled with danger and disorder.
“In Malawi, using kabazas feels like an accident already waiting to happen. People use kabazas because they have no choice, and I know nobody feels safe using them,” Phiri declared.
He went further still, calling for a fundamental shift in how the country approaches road safety within the sector.
“May we align to Malawi Agenda 2063 on safety, decent work, and inclusive growth, and make Malawi a safe place where death happens because it is time, and not because of recklessness,” he said.
Phiri called on MACOKASA to spearhead a cooperative agenda ensuring every kabaza operator becomes properly registered, arguing the move would give police a vital tool to trace stolen motorcycles and crack down on theft within the industry.
The Minister also appealed to development partners to fund dedicated kabaza shelters, aimed at decongesting overcrowded bus stops where buses and motorcyclists are currently forced to operate in the same cramped, chaotic space — a situation he suggested was fuelling much of the disorder plaguing the sector.
Dr Phiri reaffirmed government’s commitment to working hand-in-hand with MACOKASA and other stakeholders to transform kabaza from a chaotic, informal sector into a safe, properly regulated and recognised economic engine — one capable of creating jobs while finally delivering the safety standards Malawians deserve.
The Minister’s comments add fresh urgency to long-standing concerns over road safety within Malawi’s motorcycle taxi industry, with calls now mounting for concrete action to match the ambitious rhetoric before more lives are lost on the country’s roads.