This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
On December 18, 2019, confusion erupted at Modern Coast Bus Express offices in Mombasa after the bus company announced on its website that it had received an alert lifting the suspension of its licence from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
However, NTSA swiftly countered Modern Coast's assertion, stating on its Twitter handle that the suspension of Modern Coast Express had not been lifted.
Dozens of passengers, including Elijah Otieno who had booked to travel from Mombasa to Kisumu for Christmas festivities, were left stranded at the bus company's Mwembe Tayari offices in Mombasa.
"I paid Sh2,000 to travel, but by the look of things, I don't know if I will travel," Otieno said, expressing his frustration with the conflicting information.
The bus company's licence was suspended following an accident involving one of its buses, in which seven people were killed on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway.