This archive report was first published on 23 December 2019.
On December 23, 2019, a major crackdown was conducted by police and NTSA officers along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
Over 40 vehicles, mainly matatus and buses, were detained for various traffic offences near Naivasha town, causing travel plans to be derailed.
Passengers complained bitterly about the exercise, noting that it had inconvenienced them and disrupted their festive season travel plans.
Some PSV operators decided to change their route further, causing more inconvenience to passengers heading upcountry.
According to Rift Valley Traffic enforcement officer Rashid Ali, the crackdown was meant to ensure that vehicles on the road were safe for use.
Ali noted that they had impounded over 40 vehicles, with ten of them being defective and not fit to transport passengers.
He added that some drivers had tampered with the speed governors while others were operating away from their routes.
Ali stated that despite complaints from passengers, the crackdown would continue, and all arrested drivers would be bonded to appear in court on December 27.
However, passengers complained about the slow manner of inspecting their vehicles, adding that more officers should have been sent on the road.
One of the passengers, Eric Mutua, who was headed to Kericho from Nairobi, said that he had been stranded on the area for over two hours.
He questioned the timing of the crackdown, noting that it should have been planned earlier as it had ended up messing their travel arrangements.
