Several residents of Ongata Rongai had to brave the chilly evening on Friday to walk over two kilometers after the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) mounted an evening raid.
The residents were forced to walk after some buses and matatus decided to drop passengers at Petrocity Rongai Service Station, about 2 kilometers from Tumaini bus stop.
The night crackdown resulted in a huge traffic snarl-up, which saw some residents spend up to one and a half hours traveling from Nairobi CBD to Rongai, which takes 45 minutes to one hour on average.
NTSA officers and police drawn from Lang’ata and Ongata Rongai Police Stations were posted at the Multimedia University gate and were pulling public service vehicles (PSVs) aside for random checks.
“We have dropped passengers here (Petrocity) because NTSA is at MMU,” one conductor told a driver who stopped to check why many residents were by the roadside. This was around 9pm.
The conductor was advising a matatu driver who was concerned about the raid. “We just passed them on our way to town without a problem,” he told the conductor, who responded, “They are only checking vehicles that are heading to Rongai.”
Many residents stood bewildered at the Mukoma bus stop, which is next to the Petrocity Rongai Service Station. Several residents could be seen walking towards Rongai, driving down the notorious MMU hill.
Several buses and 14-seater matatus had parked on the shoulder of the road, while others opted to turn around and take the long route through Gataka Road to avoid NTSA officers.
The authority is said to have begun the operation in the evening hours after the National Police Service announced plans to crack down on PSVs ahead of the Easter festivities.
PSVs plying the Ongata Rongai route have been notorious for reckless driving behaviours, such as speeding, overlapping, and dangerous overtaking.
Furthermore, some of the matatus have been found operating despite being unroadworthy, with instances where some matatus failed to comply with safety regulations, leading to calamity.
It remains unclear for how long NTSA will conduct the inspection, but police on Friday warned of an impending crackdown on PSVs and cars that are on the road without proper authorisation.
"The NPS, in collaboration with all stakeholders, will take proactive and stringent measures to enhance road safety. We have put in place an extensive operation plan to conduct thorough enforcement checks and ensure road safety compliance on all roads,” said NPS in a statement.
