•Operators said the decision was rushed and is set to have serious repercussions on their business
•The ban of movement in and out of Nairobi was effected on Monday at 7pm while that affecting other counties begins Wednesday.
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Public transport operators have cried foul after the ban on all movement by road or rail in and out of Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Kilifi, Kwale and Mombasa counties.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday declared the cessation of movement to and out of Nairobi and those counties for 21 days.
The ban of movement in and out of Nairobi was effected on Monday at 7pm while that affecting other counties begins Wednesday.
Uhuru said the majority of those who have contracted Covid-19 are Nairobi, Kilifi, Kwale and Mombasa residents.
He said 82 per cent of Covid-19 cases have been in Nairobi and 14 per cent in coastal counties.
"The movement within the Nairobi Metropolitan Area and the counties of Kilifi, Kwale and Mombasa shall continue subject to the nationwide curfew," the President said.
"This virus doesn’t care about the size of your wallet...in defeating it ..we should face the enemy standing side by side. Our unity is demonstrated by each Kenyan going the extra mile," he said.
"Make no mistake, we are at war and we must be together if we shall win this war. There is a choice that we are asked to make. Do we carry out as normal or carry it as an emergency and fundamentally change the way we act?" he asked.
The head of state said Kenyans are being called upon by their children to show the greatness in them by how they respond to this virus.
Public service operators cried foul. Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai told the Star by phone that the impact is enormous.
“The impact is enormous. We cannot even talk about it now. But if it will help reduce the spread of the virus, so be it,” he said.
Kimutai said the government ought to have cushioned the operators. “There is nothing that we can do now."
He said coronavirus has neither boundaries nor respect for the rich and the poor.
According to him, MOA will have to wait to get a new formula.
Association of Bus Operators Kenya chairman Edwin Mukabana told the Star that the decision was rushed without their participation.
“The decision was too abrupt in my opinion. They should have allowed a bit of time,” Mukabana said fearing that people will be stranded.
He said they should have been given more time like airlines before the ban.
Mukabana said his association will comply with the directive. “We have tried by providing sanitisers in public service vehicles and also by carrying a few passengers."
He said it will be challenging to refund fares for those who have already booked as some of them were already at bus stops.
“The whole decision was rushed. There should have been a degree of consultation to enable people to understand and prepare.”
He said the move to curtail movements within some of the counties already affected by coronavirus must have been decided two or three days ago.
Mukabana noted, “The operators may pull their vehicles altogether from roads if they find the business unsustainable. Some of them live hand-to-mouth.”
He warned that the whole country risked being grounded “ if we are not sensitive on how they operate.”
Following the ban, the Kenya Railways managing director Philip Mainga withdrew two Madaraka express trains that operated daily between Nairobi and Mombasa.
"The SGR and Meter gauge railway freight services will continue uninterrupted and according to the 24-hour schedule," Mainga said.
He said the Nairobi Commuter Rail service to Ruiru, Embakasi, Syokimau and Kikuyu stations will continue normally.
- mwaniki fm