This archive report was first published on 20 December 2019.
As the festive season approaches, the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has issued a directive that will see traffic officers manning roadblocks arrest excess passengers only in public service vehicles, not the driver and tout.
According to the IG, passengers caught standing in vehicles will be held personally responsible, with the IG stating, 'Do not blame the conductor or the matatu; responsibility starts with you as a passenger.'
Places of worship and entertainment joints have been asked to be on high alert during the festivities and thoroughly frisk people and vehicles entering their premises, with the IG warning that there is still a terror threat despite police having made remarkable success in the fight against it.
Meanwhile, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has warned that their crackdown on PSV operators will continue, with NTSA's new boss George Njau stating that they will revoke whole Sacco by licences should one vehicle be found flouting traffic rules.
The directives are part of the measures being put in place to ensure safety is maintained during the holidays.
It has also been reported that the alcohol breathalysers, commonly known as alcoblow, might make a comeback to the roads two years after the Court of Appeal ruled that they were illegal.
