Murang’a police boss bans ‘foreign’ public service vehicles

 Wangari Njuguna and KNA

Public service vehicles which don’t usually operate within Murang’a county shall not be allowed in the devolved unit,  area police boss Josphat Kinyua has said.

Kinyua said only vehicles which have been licensed to ply various routes in the county shall be allowed to ferry passengers to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. 

Speaking in Murang’a town, the police boss said there has been an influx of foreign vehicles from Nairobi, which exposes residents to the pandemic. 

He said at the local level, they have managed to ensure the matatu operators are following the directives given by the Ministry of Health to sanitise vehicles and passengers as they board. 

“We have been to several matatu termini and so far we are contented with what they are doing to keep the virus at bay,” he said 

Share helmets

He, however, said the boda boda sector could be the weak link in curbing the spread of the virus owing to sharing of helmets among passengers.

Meanwhile, bar owners in Narok county want the government to give them alternative means of earning income after all bars and clubs in the county were closed to avert  Covid-19 spread.

The bar owners, who held a day-long meeting with officials from the county and national governments, at Ole Ntimama Stadium said they will suffer huge losses if their premises remain closed for 30 days as directed by the county leadership.

“I request we be given an allowance of up to 10pm to operate,” said Martha Wamaitha, a bar owner.

Narok Chamber of Commerce chair David Mpatiany asked the business community to be patient as the government fights spread of the deadly disease.