A few hours after President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the cessation of movement into and out of Nairobi, traffic was snarled up along major access roads.
Titus Mbuthia, like other motorists, was unable to get the Nairobi Metropolitan area and unwilling to turn to where he had come from.
“I had gone to check a project I was doing in Kangundo, was I to spend the night at the site?” he asked.
Law enforcement officers, however, held their ground and blocked their ears to numerous pleas from citizens who begged to be allowed access.
When it became obvious that the officers would not relent, Mbuthia said he was forced to sleep in his car on the highway.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, some Kenyans determined to get into the city used a myriad of tricks to escape and gain access.
In Kamulu, where access to the city from Kangundo Road had been blocked, a number of people opted for tedious and dangerous shortcuts - popularly known as panya routes - to sneak into the city.
They walked long hours, went through a thicket, down a stream and up a hill that landed them close to Ruai - in the metropolitan area.
Along Thika Highway, near Blue Post Hotel in Thika town, police officers mounted a roadblock barring people from accessing the city through Ruiru.
However, when they alighted at the roadblock, determined passengers continued their journey on foot before landing in ‘safe’ zones where they picked another matatu to town.
They trekked about 500 metres through obsolete footpaths. They plied through the Del Monte farm and accessed the Thika-Garissa highway, which connects to the Thika superhighway through the BAT-Makongeni road, the other side of the roadblock.
Uhuru banned the movement by road, rail or air in and out of the Nairobi metropolitan area effective Monday, April 6. Restrictions into Kilifi, Kwale and Mombasa counties started on Wednesday at 7pm.
Addressing the nation at State House, Uhuru said the move is aimed at combating the spread of the coronavirus to other parts of the country since 82 per cent of Kenya’s reported cases have been recorded in Nairobi.
Police have mounted roadblocks at Athi River, Katani Road near Mlolongo, at Kalulu on Kangundo Road and another one at Blue Post Chania Bridge to restrict movement in and out of the capital.
There is also another roadblock on Garissa Road at BAT junction to restrict movement from the Northeastern and Eastern parts of the country into and out of the city.
Those trying to access the city from Rift Valley and Upper Kiambu are being stopped at Uplands. Another roadblock is at Rironi.
There are more roadblocks in Ngong, Kiserian, Isinya and Ting'ang' a.
Edited by R.Wamochie
