The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has issued a statement urging a comprehensive overhaul of the transport sector’s value chain, arguing that unnecessary middlemen add costs for motorists, transport operators, businesses and ordinary consumers.

MAK says the sector is funded by millions of Kenyans who bear expenses such as fuel, maintenance, insurance, licences, taxes, levies and repairs, yet intermediaries continue to extract money without providing commensurate services.

The association clarifies it does not oppose all intermediaries, noting that they can reduce transaction costs, provide expertise, connect markets or assume genuine commercial risks when they deliver measurable services.

Its concern centres on “unnecessary layers” that inflate the price of fuel, transport services, spare parts, insurance, licensing and other essential inputs, ultimately passing the burden onto motorists, passengers and businesses.

Regional backdrop: Uganda’s middle‑man purchases

The call follows remarks by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who disclosed that Uganda had been buying petroleum products through Kenyan middlemen rather than directly under a government‑to‑government framework, a practice highlighted by the late Kenyan legislator Cyrus Jirongo in 2019.

Requested reforms and transparency measures

MAK calls for full transparency across the transport value chain, insisting that every charge, commission, levy, procurement arrangement, concession, agency fee and intermediary margin be justified, linked to a demonstrable service and subject to public accountability.

The association also urges the government to separate value creation from rent extraction when assessing sector efficiency, asking officials to identify who creates value, assumes risk and ultimately pays for services.