Traffic was briefly disrupted along Jogoo Road on the morning of Thursday, 7 August, after a bus operated by City Shuttle was set ablaze by angry boda boda operators.
In what could be considered a retaliatory move, the riders descended on the bus after it allegedly knocked and killed a boda boda operator along the busy road.
According to witnesses, the operator sustained fatal injuries upon impact. Following the incident, passengers were forced to leave the bus and find alternative transport, as the bus driver and conductor waited for the authorities to take control of the situation.
However, moments later, more boda boda operators gathered at the scene before they took matters into their own hands.
The operators set the bus on fire, and images and videos obtained by Kenyans.co.ke revealed that the bus was burnt beyond repair.
A witness took to social media to describe what happened, accusing the fire department and the authorities of a delayed response which exacerbated the situation.
"A bodaboda operator was killed by a Bus, shattering his brain into pieces. It took more than an hour before the arrival of police officers or any other rapid response team," he said.
He added. "The other operators got upset and set the City shuttle bus ablaze. To my surprise, the firefighting team also did not respond rapidly, only coming after the inner, combustible components of the bus had all been consumed."
This was the second fire incident involving a public service vehicle, coming just hours after a bus attached to the Super Metro went up in flames off Naivasha Road. The cause of the fire is yet to be established.
Notably, the Jogoo Road is expected to experience more-than-usual traffic on Thursday, after the Nairobi Traffic Department announced re-routes scheduled for August 7 to accommodate two African Nations Championships (CHAN) games.
The Democratic Republic of Congo will take on Zambia at the Nyayo Stadium from 3pm, while Harambee Stars will be up against Angola in the second round of matches at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, from 7pm, with motorists urged to avoid sections of Thika Road and Mombasa Road unless they are attending the games.
