Public transport in the Democratic Republic of Congo is often a real headache due to the poor quality of service, lack of organization, numerous illegal police checks, and red tape. On Monday, June 5, 2023, taxi and taxi-bus drivers in the city-province of Kinshasa observed a strike despite the 10-day moratorium without control granted to them by the provincial transport authority.
The problem of police and administrative hassle characterized by two main phenomena, namely crooks and non-apparent elements identifying themselves as intelligence agents (known as bureaus 2) and transport agents, is a deep evil that can only be solved if the The State buys enough wheeled vehicles capable of covering the transport needs of the population of Kinshasa.
Some bus drivers are routinely caught in police checks due to price gouging, half-courts which are punishable by law. The police and other agents deployed in the main arteries are required to reach a certain amount to be paid or sent to the commander of the zone, the antenna or the head of the mission at the end of each day. This is particularly the case of police vehicles on board which you will find dozens of police officers or even unmarked vehicles (ketch and transit) requisitioned in order to operate in full view of everyone without anyone raising their little finger.
Prime Minister SAMA LUKONDE should instruct the VPM of the Interior and the Minister of Transport to put out of harm’s way all elements of the police, intelligence and transport operating without a valid mission order. In the meantime, these two members of the government, accompanied by the boss of the city of Kinshasa police and the ANR, will have to meet with the Association of Drivers of Congo, ACCO, to put an end to the phenomena “subscriber” and ” half-terrain” decried by the passengers.
The resignation of elected officials in the face of the situation is total and notorious. “The state cannot be a poor relation”, they say. It is time for the State to take concrete measures to drastically clean up this sector in a global and globalizing approach.