Residents of Garissa on Tuesday took issue with President Uhuru Kenyatta's order on cessation of movement in and out of coronavirus hotspot counties.
The lockdown started in Nairobi on Monday at 7pm, while the order will take effect on Wednesday in Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale counties.
Bus operators, small and medium enterprise traders who include grocery sellers, hawkers said the President's directive was hurriedly announced.
Those who spoke said the President should have given two-days notice for Nairobi as he did for Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi.
Speaking to the press in Garissa town, the traders said Uhuru should have given Kenyans ample notice to prepare themselves accordingly.
Garissa Bus Operators chairman Abdi Mohamed said even though they welcome the directives taken by the government, a notice should have been given prior.
Mohamed said at least 20 buses from Garissa operate to and from the affected counties on a daily basis.
“We had close to 200 passengers who had booked in different bus companies. We are now forced to return their bus fare. The inconvenience notwithstanding, don't forget that some of the buses were secured through loans that we are servicing,” Mohamed said.
“I can tell you the presidential directive got us unawares. Many of our busies were already on their way to Nairobi and by the time the President gave his speech, it was too late."
"They could not make a U-turn and come back to Garissa,” he said.
Resident Yassin Ibrahim complained that the order has separated him from his wife who will now be forced to stay in Nairobi for the next 21 days.
“I escorted my wife to the bus station yesterday. She was going to Nairobi to see her sick relative,” Ibrahim said.
Jane Wambui, the chairperson of groceries sellers at Garissa market, said chances of residents starving were now real since most of the groceries are usually brought by people on buses plying the route.
“What will we now do going forward? Life has literally been turned upside down by the President’s directive. How do we feed our families? We appeal to the President to come up with measures cushion us who depend on small business enterprises to sustain our families,” she said.
Edited by E.Kibii
