Thousands of Nairobi residents on Friday night braved a cold night as they tried to rush home to beat the nationwide 7pm — 5am curfew imposed by the government which took effect on Friday evening.
There was desperation as only a few public service vehicles were available, forcing many to camp outside buildings as they waited for means of transport.
Long queues were witnessed in the city especially at Commercial with a number of commuters struggling to board buses with very few public service vehicles (PSVs) on sight as social distancing was thrown out of caution.
Matatus that were available seized the opportunity to cash in by hiking the fare even as others flouted the new directive restricting the number of passengers they should carry to facilitate social distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
On Friday, the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai warned that those found outside their homes within the stipulated 7pm – 5am curfew period will be dealt with according to the law.
The curfew, which will last indefinitely, will mean no one will be allowed outside their homes during the specified hours.
“The curfew applies to the entire territory of the Republic of Kenya starting today from 7pm-5am until further notice. It prohibits public gatherings and processions during the curfew. Any person who violates the curfew commits an offence and shall be arrested and charged in a court of law,” said Mutyambai.
Commuters have also been left with the burden of shouldering hiked prices from matatus with fare from the CBD to Umoja hiked to Sh200 from Sh80.
Most matatus that left the city centre in the last hour did not make their way back in fear of breaching the curfew.
Heavy traffic along some routes like Mombasa Road was also witnessed as Kenyans rushed home to beat the dusk to dawn curfew.
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