Kwezy Bus, Mzuzu City Council Feud Takes Nasty Twist
The Mzuzu City Council and Premier coach service operator, Kwezy Bus company, were once allies in the thriving transportation industry in the city but a new twist of misunderstandings has ensued, causing tensions to rise between the two entities against the resolutions passed during last years Mzuzu City Summit.
It all started when the Council decided to establish a new Mzuzu Coach terminal which came into operation on 1st January 2024 in an effort to streamline the city’s public transportation system.
Ironically, it is alleged that the management of Kwezy Bus Company refused to comply with the new regulations, citing that the terminal was falling short of standards and not providing the necessary facilities for their passengers.
According to Mzizu City Public Relations Officer Mcdonald Gondwe, despite numerous warnings from the Council, Kwezy Bus continued to bypass the terminal and operate from their own designated stops.
Fed up with the company’s defiance, the Council took matters into their own hands, using the rangers (bouncers) to impounded one of Kwezy Bus’s buses, a development which some legal minds have argued that it is contradictory to the city’s bylaws and the law in general.
Observing the manner in which the Council conducted itself bypassing the police in enforcing the law, the management of the bus company got furious, claiming that the Council’s actions were unjust and discriminatory.
Kwezy Bus Company’s regional branch manager for the North, Francisco Vitsitsi argued that the fees charged by the Council to use the terminal are exorbitant and not worth the services provided by his company.
“We preferred the current stops as they are more convenient unlike the said new Coach Terminal which can be pulling down our standards, we feel very much insecure that side apart from the exorbitant fee charges,” Vitsitsi said.
As the dispute escalate, both parties dug their heels in, refusing to back down, the Council insisting that Kwezy Bus must use the designated terminal and before doing that they must pay a K2 million fine for promoting disorder and inefficiency in the city’s transportation system.
But, the management of Kwezy Bus Company has stood firm in their belief that the terminal is inadequate and not up to standard challenging to fight in Court what they describe as the Council’s impunity.
Responding to the K2 million fine imposed on the Bus Company, Vitsitsi said Kwezy Bus Company don’t find any basis for paying the amount since the City bylaws are not restricting any Bus to stop at the MBC Bus Stage, however since and being a legal matter they have engaged a law firm for judicial review of the bylaws and way forward for disturbance of business.
“If they really had the backing of the Law when impounding the bus why are they not engaging law enforcers, if you ask the police they will tell you that issues of wrong parking do not exist at bus stops,” added Vitsitsi.
The feud between the Mzuzu City Council and Kwezy Bus company continues to simmer, causing disruptions in the city’s transportation services, with the situation growing more intense, travellers begin to feel the impact of the standoff, with delays and confusion plaguing their daily commutes.
“Only time would tell if the two parties could put their differences aside and find a resolution that would benefit both the City Council and the Bus Company,” said one Kwezy Bus Company customer Merinda Nyirongo.
In the meantime, the people of Mzuzu City, more particularly those enjoying upper-class coach services could only hope for a quick end to the misunderstandings that had caused so much turmoil in their daily lives.
