Gender CS Hannah Wendot Cheptum has ordered the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to withdraw the operating license of Mash Poa buses after an incident in which a female passenger was drugged on one of its buses.
Adelle Omondi, a passenger on the bus, reported the incident that allegedly happened on April 4, where she woke up at the Coast General Hospital after hours of being unconscious, only to find herself missing some of her items, including her underwear, raising suspicions of sexual abuse.
Adelle's phone and cash were also missing. She later learned that unauthorized transactions had been made from her M-Pesa account.
Following the incident, the CS maintained that the Ministry condemned the incident and ordered an immediate investigation to find the culprits.
“This heinous act may not be an isolated incident. It is not only a grave violation of her dignity and rights, but also a stark reminder of the urgent need to ensure safety and accountability in all private and public spaces,” Cheptumo said.
The CS ordered the bus administration to provide official booking records, CCTV footage, and all required items to aid investigations.
Public transport operators were also ordered to provide reporting mechanisms to passengers to ensure that reporting of such incidents is swift.
''We call upon Mash Poa to fully cooperate by providing the bus manifest, CCTV footage, booking records, and staff for questioning. We also urge public transport operators to strengthen safety protocols and create a secure reporting mechanism for passengers,'' Wendot ordered.
“This is a criminal act, and those responsible must be held accountable without fear or cover-up,” Cheptumo stressed.
While Cheptum hailed the efforts of the police and the Director of Criminal Investigations in Mombasa in probing the incident, she advised them to expedite the investigations, arguing that the culprits were still free, posing a danger to other passengers.
The ministry’s intervention follows a wave of public anger sparked by Omondi’s harrowing experience, which many Kenyans, particularly women, shared on social media.
Several Kenyans posted stories of similar experiences, raising concerns about the safety of public transport in Kenya.
This incident has exposed a worrying pattern in Kenya's public transport, where passengers are becoming targeted in different incidents. This reality has fueled public calls for urgent action to ensure passenger security.
