Authorities unbowed by protests about curfew nightmare

Inspector General Hilary Mutyambai yesterday said police will enforce the night curfew as laid out in law and will not give in to demands by violators.

He was responding to a section of Nairobi residents who complained after they were caught up in a police operation on major roads on Saturday night.

Different routes were closed for hours as security agencies enforced the curfew order. It took two hours before police finally allowed motorists using the routes to continue their journey past 11pm.

But Mutyambai said there has been a trend of impunity among some Kenyans but warned that they will not relent in their efforts to ensure total compliance with Ministry of Health protocols and in particular curfew hours.

“We urge the public to cooperate in this exercise, especially in the five counties that were declared infected. We must work together to address the pandemic crisis,” he said.

Mutyambai said every Kenyan has a responsibility to fight the virus and comply with regulations. “We must be responsible. It is a collective responsibility and there is no excuse.”

Police mounted roadblocks past 9pm, catching many off-guard and held the motorists at the same position for two hours.

The teams, which included those from General Service Unit, said they were simply implementing the law on the curfew.

“It is a Saturday and past 9pm but Thika Road is full of private cars. Most occupants are from parties and they forgot there is a curfew. We must respect the law,” said one senior officer who was manning a roadblock on the highway.

Nairobi regional coordinator James Kianda said following their routine review and assessment of the implementation of the Covid-19 containment measures, they have established that compliance with the guidelines within the Nairobi metropolis is below 50 per cent.

“We also note with concern that there are willful violations of these protocols on estates, especially prohibition of large in-person gatherings and compliance with curfew restrictions and other health protocols,” he said.

He reminded Kenyans that each life matters and they must all take part in breaking the chain of transmission of the virus.

“However stringent these rules may appear, they are imperative for our survival. As such, civic responsibility is a more potent weapon in this war than enforcement of the guidelines by the police.”

Kianda said Saturday’s traffic snarl-up on Thika Road was occasioned by efforts by police officers to strictly enforce the curfew restrictions.

Going forward, traffic management will be reviewed and enhanced to facilitate a smooth transition into curfew hours, he said. Kianda urged wananchi to plan their movements accordingly with a view to beating the curfew.

Government spokesman Cyrus Oguna said it is important that Kenyans continue to observe Covid-19 control and containment measures if they are to quickly flatten the infection curve and have lives get back to normal.

“Observing these measures include strictly respecting the curfew time, which starts at 8pm for the One Zone and 10pm for the rest of the country. Let this be a collective responsibility,” he said.

On Saturday night, citing the 8pm curfew rule, security officers were adamant that residents would not be let through until 4am when the curfew ends. Hundreds of Nairobi residents were stuck on busy routes, including Kangundo Road, Lang'ata Road and Ngong Road.

Some of those stranded took to social media to share their predicament, saying they had been informed they would stay at the sites until 4am. Ambulances were, however, allowed to pass through the roadblocks.

The temporary roadblocks were also mounted at Kayole Junction, Wilson Airport, Lang'ata Road, Mwiki, Kasarani, Junction Mall, Coptic Hospital, Arboretum, Ruai, Utawala, Two Rivers and at Kenyatta University Hospital, among other areas.

Others were mobile. Several videos posted online showed gridlocks on all lanes from and to the central business district. There was divided opinion, with some supporting the move by authorities and others opposing it.

“Compliance with necessary#Covid-19 public health measures is not about torture as happening on Thika Road but about national dialogue and community engagement on protecting lives," tweeted Dr Githinji Gitahi, CEO Amref Africa.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said in a revised Gazette notice dated April 12 the ongoing curfew both in the five-county disease-infected zone and the rest of the country will run until May 29, 2021.

Those outside Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Kiambu and Nakuru counties will, however, continue their curfew from 10pm to 4am.

The order says there shall be no public gatherings, processions or movement, either alone or as a group during the curfew hours except as permitted in writing by a police officer in charge of a county or an officer in charge of a division/subcounty.

The CS had earlier indicated the curfew orders would run for 30 days. But there is a likelihood some of the orders will be reviewed ahead of the reopening of learning institutions.

A curfew and partial lockdown were introduced in Nairobi and the other four counties. This has seen major operations suspended or scaled down. The measures announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta also included the suspension of parliamentary and county assembly sittings and the closure of bars in Nairobi as the country experiences a third wave of the deadly virus. The move has hurt businesses.

Others say meetings or events, including social gatherings, are limited to 15; funerals, cremations and other interment ceremonies must be conducted within 72 hours of confirmation of death and limited to 50 mourners; and people travelling to Kenya must be in possession of a negative Covid-19 PCR certificate acquired no more than 96 hours prior to arrival, with the PCR Certificate also having been validated under the Trusted Travel platform for those travelling by air.