Transport was paralysed along Kangundo Road in Komarock, Nairobi County, after matatu operators staged protests over the deplorable condition of the road, which they said had significantly hurt their businesses.
The operators accused government agencies of ignoring repeated calls to repair the road, prompting them to take to the streets.
Videos and images seen by Kenyans.co.ke depicted the operators burning tires as some of them lay on roads to express their frustrations.
Police officers within the locality, however, chose not to engage them and allowed them to protest.
The operators claimed they had been using their resources to patch up the roads, a situation they said had emboldened the authorities to neglect their responsibilities.
Over time, they argued, the relevant agencies appeared to grow comfortable with the informal fixes, abandoning any efforts to implement lasting solutions.
The operators revealed that despite writing to the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), the authority is yet to act despite the inconveniences they experience.
Additionally, they claimed that local Members of Parliament, together with Members of County Assembly, have also failed to intervene.
''Where are our elected leaders? We have our area MP who has failed to respond," an operator who was part of the protests maintained.
''We have even written to KURA, and they have failed to respond; all they do is say things will happen. We do not see any response," another one added.
Meanwhile, in Machakos County, on Tala Oldonyo Sabuk Road, matatu owners also raised complaints over the poor state of the road that connects the county to Thika County.
The locals accused area politicians of perpetuating a culture of impunity by turning a blind eye to the poor state of infrastructure.
According to the residents, leaders continued to hold political engagements along the same damaged roads without advocating for their rehabilitation.
