Public transport in sections of Nairobi was yesterday paralyzed for hours after Matatu operators held demonstrations protesting against police harassment at the central bus station.
It took the intervention of Nairobi Deputy Police Officer Moses Ombati for normal operations to resume.
The strike was triggered by the arrest of two conductors and one driver plying route number 15 (Lang’ata), which had occurred at 5am. They claimed that the three were arrested illegally as they had all credentials and committed no offence.
According to the matatu officials, the driver was held for being in possession of illicit drugs while the two conductors were booked for touting at the bus terminus. Police however, declined to confirm the claims.
The protesters matched to central police station, where the three were held, to demand for their release and later went to Hakati central bus station where they were addressed by the deputy PPO.
For almost half of the day, no Matatu was picking or dropping passengers at the city’s central bus station. Mfangano Street and a section of Haile Selassie Avenue had also been blocked by the protesters, leaving several travelers among them, children headed back to school, stranded in the process.
The Matatu operators claimed that a police unit nicknamed ‘Rhino Squad’, arrests conductors very early in the morning without telling them their offence, demand for bribes or book them for offences they have not committed.
They further demanded that all police officers on duty be uniformed and the city council installs more lights at the bus station. They said they usually have all requirements but fall victims of extortion because they perceive the due process of the law as expensive.
Normal operations resumed at around 1pm after Mr. Ombati, in the company of Central OCPD Eric Mugambi, addressed the operators and assured them that there issues will be looked into.
Mr. Ombati denied the existence of the Rhino squad unit and said that they will hold discussions to determine whether it will be possible to have every police officer uniformed.
However, speaking to the Nation on phone, Mbuthia Gachera, the secretary general of the yet to be registered Public Transport Operators Union said that having every police officer uniformed is not an intelligent idea and it should not be the concern of Matatu operators.
Matatu welfare association chairman Dickson Mbugua said they will monitor the situation for the next one week and threatened to down their tools again if police don’t address their concerns.
The three crew members were later set free set free and the strike called off. The driver David Mwangi Kagwi, popularly known as Pastor, was released on a free bond while the two conductors alleged that they bribed their way out.
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