Kaloleni riders risk lives for Sh1,000, says MP Katana

Greedy boda boda riders are the weak link in the fight against the coronavirus, Kaloleni MP Paul Katana has warned. 

Katana said the riders ferry people to and from Mombasa county to buy mnazi in Kaloleni for sale in the city. They charge at least Sh1,000 for each trip.

“They use panya routes to evade the police roadblocks oblivious of the danger they are exposing themselves and their families to,” Katana said.

The riders are making a killing while endangering the lives of Kaloleni residents.

The MP told the Star on Monday that most of the riders do not observe guidelines for containing the spread of the disease.

“To the few riders who are responsible, if you see a boda boda rider who is not from Kaloleni, because you know yourselves, report them to police,” Katana said.

Kaloleni subcounty has not registered a case of Covid-19. Katana is desperate to ensure the situation is maintained.  

He called on Kaloleni subcounty police commander Ezekiel Chepkwony to deal firmly with violators of the anti-coronavirus directives.

On Saturday, during the burial of Esther Ngala, the widow of former Coast political kingpin Ronald Ngala, Katana said a resident of Kaloleni, living in Mombasa died of Covid-19 and was accorded an unceremonial burial.

He said the individual was buried within five hours of his death with only two family members present. “Would you want to be buried like that?” he asked residents.

He said it is unfortunate that most residents do not believe the disease is real. They have not seen or heard of a person has either caught the disease or died from it.

“Do not wait until one of your loved ones is killed by this disease for you to believe. It is real and the cure is yourselves. You will determine if this disease gets to you or if it kills you,” Katana said.

He said self-discipline is the only weapon against the disease.

“I am ready to be blamed for whatever action is taken against flouters of the directives today than wait to cry tomorrow,” he said.

Chepkwony said the directives issued by the Health ministry are not to punish the people but to ensure they are safe.

“If we don’t do this, the disease will spread and when it spreads it will be difficult to control,” he said.

Chepkwony told the Star on the phone Monday that he will be stricter with boda bodas, who are the greatest danger to Kaloleni residents.

“This issue of using shortcuts to ferry people from Mombasa is dancing with death. One person alone can infect as many as 100 people,” Chepkwony said.

He said wearing of face masks and carrying only one pillion passenger is a simple instruction that is not difficult to achieve.

Katana said he acknowledges that times are hard but also pointed out that if people cooperate, the coronavirus will be defeated and people will go back to their normal lives.

(edited by o. owino)