Police light bonfire to keep Thika Road curfew breakers warm – VIDEO
Police officers on Sunday night lit bonfires along Thika Superhighway to keep curfew breakers and themselves warm as they barricaded the road for a second night.
Officers lined up on Thika Road to enforce the curfew that starts at 8pm, but Kasarani OCPD Peter Mwanzo said they will give motorists an hour extension and set up roadblocks at 9pm.
“We are only preserving the inner lane for essential service providers, who include security officers, medical practitioners, journalists, among others,” he said.
The change of heart came a day after there was uproar after the snarl-up Saturday where motorists and essential service providers were stuck on several roads, including the superhighway.
Read: Nairobi residents left stranded after curfew blockade
Mwanzo insisted that motorists who would be found flouting curfew regulations would spend the night on the road.
Thika Road Curfew: Police light bonfire to keep motorists warm through the night. pic.twitter.com/JVQQWswRAv
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) April 18, 2021
The Saturday snarl-up attracted mixed reactions, with some supporting the police, insisting that they were only doing their job, while others said there are no blanket rules in matters that touch on public health and human rights.
On Sunday, Nairobi regional commissioner James Kianda indicated that traffic management would be reviewed and enhanced to facilitate a smooth transition into curfew hours.
Nairobi is among the five counties which were put under lockdown on March 29 when President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered a cessation of movement in and out of the zone.
President Kenyatta declared Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kajiado and Machakos counties as a Covid-19 disease-infected zone.
In a revised Gazette Noticed dated April 12, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i said the 8pm to 4am curfew in the zoned counties would be extended to May 29.
“This order shall apply during the hours of darkness between eight o’clock in the evening and four o’clock in the morning with effect from March 29, 2021 and shall remain in effect for a period of sixty days thereof,” he said.