A number of Kenyans travelling for Easter on Friday got stranded due to the unavailability of vehicles. The situation was, however, different on Wednesday and Thursday.
A spot check by The Standard found some stations deserted as few operators were in business.
For those using the train from Nairobi to Mombasa, bookings were full by Thursday evening, leaving many people stranded.
“Seats are fully booked for Nairobi Terminus to Mombasa Terminus on April 7, 2023. Please search for another date,” read the feedback message from Kenya Railways.
For those travelling by road, the transport crisis was not as evident during the day on Thursday.
At one of the busiest bus stations in Nairobi, Railways, it was little to almost no activity when The Standard visited. The Railways Bus Station is the main stage for long-distance transport companies plying routes like Kisumu, Kakamega, Kisii and Eldoret.
The almost no activity state, however, as The Standard was informed was a result of more vehicles being released the previous night and very early Thursday morning.
“Most people will travel tonight (Thursday). But for those who can, they already left early in the morning and Wednesday night. That is why you can see we have a few of our passengers stranded here waiting for vehicles to return,” said Paul Chesoni, an attendant handling passengers travelling to Kisii.
He said fares are more or less the same as last year at Sh1,200. “The transport Saccos here are small in business. They cannot afford to increase fares. The big companies will do so because when passengers do not find shuttles, they tend to look for tickets there and so they raise fares,” he added.
It was the same state at Great Rift and North Rift matatus Saccos which operate shuttles to the Rift Valley areas plying the Nandi, Kitale and Eldoret routes. Fares to the areas on Thursday were still averaging Sh1,500.
By evening, when the spot check was done, The Standard was met with a long queue along Mfangano Street where North Rift and Blue Line Saccos are stationed. The queue started right at Afya Centre stretching all the way to the end of Mfangano Street at Haile Selassie.
In Nyeri, There was a beehive of activities at the various matatu stages as passengers boarded vehicles to different destinations. According to Stephen Muturi, a driver, this year has been better since most drivers were well-prepared to ferry passengers.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome assured the public of safety during the holidays.
Mr Koome said more police officers have been deployed to patrol the city streets in effort to contain crime during the festivities.
[Amos Kiarie, Muriithi Mugo and Kamore Maina]
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