• Muslims are set to celebrate the end of Ramadhan on Tuesday or Wednesday.
• This year’s Idd celebrations will see matatu stages in Mombasa well marked to ease traffic flow.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
Matatu owners in Mombasa will donate 15 matatus to pick up and drop Muslim faithful for the Idd-ul-Fitr prayers on Tuesday or Wednesday free of charge.
Muslims will celebrate Idd-ul-Fitr either on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the sighting of the moon on Monday evening or Tuesday evening.
Matatu Owners Association Coast coordinator Salim Mbarak said they will release three matatus at each of five stages to pick up and drop Muslims who will be going for Swalatul Idd (Idd-ul-Fitr prayers).
“We will pick and drop Muslims at Likoni Naivas, Mtwapa, Bamburi Mwisho, KFA Mwembe Tayari and Coast Bus stage Changamwe,” Mbarak said.
He warned matatu operators against increasing fares during Idd when Muslims will be out in large numbers to celebrate at different venues.
Tuesday will be the 30th day of Ramadhan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
Muslims are supposed to fast for 29 or 30 days.
Should the moon be sighted on Monday evening, Muslims will celebrate Idd-ul-Fitr on Tuesday.
If the moon is not sighted on Monday evening, Muslims will still fast on Tuesday and celebrate Idd-ul-Fitr on Wednesday, even as the government has already gazetted Wednesday as a public holiday.
This attracted praise from Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council chairman Sheikh Juma Ngao who said President Uhuru Kenyatta and Interior CS Fred Matiang’i have been mindful of Muslims.
“They have given Muslims prominence and Islam respect. That is great,” Ngao said.
Taming traffic flow
This year’s Idd celebrations will see matatu stages in Mombasa well marked to ease traffic flow.
The Mombasa county government, MOA and Invesco Assurance Company teamed up to come up with a plan to decongest the CBD and other areas.
The first to have the stages marked is the Likoni Ferry matatu terminus.
This is in anticipation of increased traffic once the Sh460 million Mama Ngina Waterfront Park is completed.
Works on the upcoming park, which was commissioned by Uhuru in January, are ongoing.
Last week, the county inspectorate department said there will be specially designated pick up and drop off points for Public Service Vehicles plying the Likoni Ferry route.
Special terminus boards have been made courtesy of Invesco, which sponsored the initiative following a request by the county.
Invesco head of marketing Chris Katiwa said the terminus boards will help commuters easily identify where they are supposed to take their matatus.
“This will help in traffic flow. Without the boards, most passengers will not know where to take matatus to take them home. This usually results in congestion at the terminus,” Katiwa said.
Mbarak said in the new plan, matatus that ply the Tudor-Likoni route will pick up and drop passengers at the Naivas stage.
“Those going to Mombasa West, including Magongo and Changamwe, will be picking and dropping passengers at the Likoni roundabout,” he said.
Only matatus plying the Mombasa North route including Bamburi and Mtwapa will be allowed inside the Likoni matatu terminus.
Mbarak said the idea to have designated drop off and pick up points in Likoni was born at a meeting between the county government inspectorate and transport stakeholders a few months ago.
“We agreed that one way of decongesting this place is to separate these stages."
He said this is the first step towards decongesting Likoni.
The inspectorate said once the initiative proves successful, similar approaches will be taken in other different termini including Bondeni, Buxton and Mwenbe Tayari.
MOA also reiterated that there is no plan to increase fares despite the increase in fuel prices.
The price of fuel has been increasing for the last three months sparking panic among commuters who fear fare hike.