Long queues were witnessed at different matatu termini as Kenyans rushed in a last-minute effort to travel ahead of the Tuesday, August 9 general election.
Media reports indicated that hundreds remained stranded at various bus stops with no Public Service Vehicles (PSVs).
The reports further revealed that many buses were fully booked until Wednesday, August 10- a day after the election date.
As a result, matatu operators have seized the opportunity to hike fares across various termini - further denting the pockets of Kenyans who have to deal with the current economic crisis.
For instance, a spot-check by Kenyans.co.ke revealed that passengers heading to Nakuru from Nairobi were parting with Ksh1,000 up from the usual Ksh400.
Further, some buses were charging Ksh1,500 in order to ferry passengers to Busia, Kisumu, Kakamega, and Mumias from Nairobi- an extra Ksh500 from the conventional Ksh1,000.
Following the crisis, many were forced to cancel their plans and opt not to travel during the election season, dashing their hopes of casting their ballots on August 9.
"We were trusting that there will be adequate vehicles but what we have witnessed in the past few days is lack of matatus to ferry passengers to their designated routes," a passenger heading to Kisii from Nairobi lamented.
Other passengers also expressed their desire to wait for the results away from the city and opt not to travel beforehand in fear of post-election fracas.
The forthcoming elections will see four presidential hopefuls battle it out for the country's top seat.
The candidates include Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga, Kenya Kwanza's William Ruto, Roots party's George Wajackoyah and Agano party's Waihiga Mwaure.
According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries and Commission (IEBC), Kenyans can only cast their ballots at polling stations where they registered as voters.
Kenyans will be choosing their six leaders for the next five months, including the president, governor, senator, member of parliament, woman representative, and Member of County Assembly.
