The Embu Council of Elders has lashed out at some traffic police officers for allegedly abetting overloading of passengers in matatus in violation of the Covid-19 regulations.
The Nyangi Ndiiriri council claimed some drivers and conductors had started overloading, thus posing the big danger of widely spreading the pandemic.
Chairman Andrew Ireri said some 14-seater matatus were carrying even more passengers instead of eight to allow for social distancing.
He expressed disappointment that the matatus had been doing that in cahoots with traffic police officers who allegedly collected bribes from the drivers and conductors before letting them proceed with their journeys.
Ireri said the matatus load the required passengers at the stations according to the Covid-19 regulations but fill more along the way.
“If this trend is not stopped the pandemic might be very widely spread among passengers and people might die in large numbers and this will be a catastrophe in this area,” Ireri said.
He spoke at his Gikuuri village residence in Embu East subcounty when elders from Kirinyaga county paid him a courtesy call to consult on matters pertaining to the two counties.
Ireri called on the authorities to intervene as quickly as possible to stop the risky behaviour.
Ireri at the same time expressed worry that people could be dying from diseases other than Covid-19 after being quarantined immediately their body temperature is found to be higher than normal.
He asked the government to be cautious and ensure that tests for other diseases are conducted on suspected coronavirus patients and treatment offered.
Ireri said whenever a person had other diseases like pneumonia and malaria, body temperature rises and isolating him for 14 days without ascertaining what he is suffering from could be dangerous.
Edited by Henry Makori
