More than 60 passengers are stranded at Mtito Andei along the Mombasa highway after the bus they were travelling in broke down at 3 am on Saturday.
The Busia bound bus KBW 086D belonging to Dreamline Express Limited is said to have departed Mombasa at 10.45 pm on Friday.
According to the passengers, the bus had a tire burst at Voi, and after it was replaced by the crew it developed serious mechanical problem near Mtito Andei at 3.27am.
“This bus is faulty. We blame it on the company’s management. Why couldn’t they service the vehicle before putting it on the route,” a seemingly angry passenger Mirriam Musyoka said.
Musyoka said they have been forced to spent the night in the cold with some little children.
"We want a refund of our money. There's is no communication from the company and we do not know how long it will take to fix the bus as they have even removed the gear boss," another passenger said.
Makueni police boss Ben Changulo told the Star on the phone that police are at the scene to assist the passengers.
“I am on the road clearing the highway,” said Changulo.
The company’s customer care Jamila Ali said a rescue bus has been dispatched from Mombasa to rescue the passengers.
“We are aware of the stranded passengers’ plight, there is a bus from Mombasa to rescue them. I am neither aware of where it has reached nor time at which it will get to the scene,” Ali told the Star on the phone on Saturday.
Several Kilometers from there, motorists were caught in heavy traffic that stretched several kilometres after a tanker broke down at the middle of the road near Kibwezi.
Stranded passengers and motorists travelling to and from Mombasa were forced to sleep on their vehicles.