Police reign terror on motorists as mothers with babies sleep in vehicles amid calls for restraint

Police officer beats a motorist at Nakuru KFA roundabout. (Kipsang Joseph, Standard)

Passengers slept in buses while cars were abandoned on the road as the police moved to enforce the curfew in Nakuru.

The streets were deserted after residents hurriedly left the town on the first day of the 7pm to 5am curfew.

Businesses were closed as early as 6.30pm.

Police officers armed with whips ready to pounce residents who defied the order to go home, strategically positioned themselves on the town’s points of entry and exit 

Officers arrested motorists on the busy Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret Highway between 9pm and 11pm.

A truck driver who was ferrying margarine was arrested after he failed to justify why he was on the road after 7pm.

“I am transporting margarine but I intended to pull over at the next petrol station. I thought the government allowed transport of foodstuffs at any time. It clocked 7pm while I was at Soysambu where I couldn’t park,” the driver explained.

But the officers said: “It is now 8.19pm. Margarine is not essential. You have bypassed many trading centers and gas stations along the way where you could have parked for the night.”

The diver was whipped as he was ordered to get back in to the vehicle and told to park at the nearest gas station.

A drunk driver who was flagged down at 822pm was whipped before he ran for dear life leaving behind his car on the roundabout. The car was towed to Nakuru Central Police Station.

At around 9.30pm, a 14 seater matatu arrived at the main bus terminus with at least seven passengers on board.

The passengers fled on seeing the police leaving the driver behind. The driver was roughed up by police officers despite explaining that he was time-barred while travelling from Kisii.

“Why did they have to beat me up? Should I have left the passengers stranded on the highway? The passengers have dispersed yet they had trusted me to get them to their destination safely,” the driver said.

The next victim of police brutality was a Kisumu-bound bus from Nairobi. On board were at least 30 women with children. This was however the only incident where the passengers were handled humanely by the police.

“I have children and women on board. They are hungry and there are no hotels or open public toilets. What do I do to them?” The driver explained to the police.

The officer boarded the bus and escorted them to Railways Police Station where they spent the night in the bus.

Street families were however spared. “We have nowhere to go. I have a young child to take care of. I can’t manage these running battles with police officers while carrying a baby on my back,” said one of the mothers.

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya said that the street families would be spared since they have no homes to go to.

“Chasing street families will complicate the situation. Their’s is a unique situation which the curfew can’t cure at the moment,” he said.

Mr Natembeya lauded the residents for complying with the curfew directive.

“There were a few people who were innocently caught up by time while others were just reluctant. We hope things will be smooth tomorrow,” he said.

He urged the residents to start leaving the town as early as 5pm to avoid missing means of transport.