‘Expect more going forward,’ Police tell Nairobians on curfew enforcement roadblocks

Nairobi Regional Commissioner James Kianda has defended the move by police to mount roadblocks along major highways in the city during curfew hours.

According to Kianda, the Saturday night roadblocks were necessitated by constant flouting of government-mandated curfew rules on management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The commissioner further added that should this continue, then Nairobians should expect more of such drastic measures.

“The operation was necessitated by Kenyans who have been defying curfew hours repeatedly. Nairobians should expect more going forward. It was not possible to arrest people because of numbers but several revelers were arrested and they will appear in court,” he said.

“Essential workers and emergencies have nothing to worry about because our officers are professional and they are guided by law. We urge employers to use the previous guidelines and release their employees on time so that they can beat curfew time. We are also looking at the matatus who are carrying beyond the required capacity.”

He also stated that they are aware of bars and restaurants operating in Nairobi despite a closure directive issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta, adding that such establishments will be dealt with according to the law.

Kenyans plying the Thika Road route were for the better part of Saturday night stranded on the way after police officers mounted a curfew enforcement roadblock.

The roadblock, according to sources Citizen Digital spoke to, was mounted a few minutes after 8pm in accordance with government directives on the curfew period.

Kenyans who were caught up in the roadblock, as evidenced by videos posted on social media, said police informed them that they would have to spend the night at those exact spots and that they would only leave at the lapse of the curfew at 4am.

The curfew enforcement exercise, however, did not happen on Thika Road alone as several sources said roadblocks were also mounted in different parts of Nairobi such as Lang’ata, Wilson Airport, and Kayole junction.