NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 20- Two police officers and two civilians were Monday night injured when a lorry rammed a roadblock mounted along Thika Road, Nairobi.
The roadblock had been mounted in Roasters area when a speeding lorry headed to Nairobi from Thika rammed onto a police lorry that had blocked the highway to enable police conduct a search in implementing the Covid-19 pandemic containment measures.
“The driver was drunk,” Kasarani Sub-County Police Commander Peter Mwanzo told Shahidi News. “He had no other reasons to try evade the roadblock since he is an essential service provider.”
Mwanzia said one officer sustained a dislocation on the both arms while the second one had head injuries. Both were rushed to the hospital.
“One of them is in a critical condition,” Mwanzo said
Two people who were on board the lorry that caused the accident were injured.
“They had injuries in the legs and one in the head,” the police boss said.
The driver of the lorry told police he lost control of it as he approached the roadblock though authorities say the car was in a good condition.
The Kasarani police boss said the driver was arrested after incident.
“I urge Kenyans to cooperate with the police. We are here to help and not to punish you,” Mwanzo said. “The curfew will not last forever. Let us play our role to ensure the COVID-19 curve has flattened.”
On Sunday, Pangani OCS Samir Yunus was injured when a speeding motorcycle hit him along Dr Griffins Road. He sustained head injuries.
Police have been implementing the curfew rules which has agonized many. Citing the 8pm curfew rule, security officers are adamant that residents of Nairobi and four other zoned Counties would not be let through.
Hundreds of Nairobi residents were stuck on busy routes on Sunday night.
Those stranded took to social media to share their predicament, saying they had been informed they would stay at the sites until 4 am.
Ambulances were however allowed to pass through the roadblocks. Officials said the move was necessitated after it emerged there was no compliance to COVID-19 rules.
Nairobi regional commissioner James Kianda said a routine review and assessment of implementation of the COVID-19 containment measures showed compliance with the said guidelines within the Nairobi metropolitan area is below 50 percent.
“We also note with concern that there is willful violation of these protocols in estates, especially prohibition of large in-person gatherings and compliance with curfew restrictions and other health protocols,” he said.
Kianda 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.
He pointed out that the Saturday’s traffic snarl-up along Thika Road was occasioned “by efforts of police officers to strictly enforce the curfew restrictions.”
Going forward, he added, traffic management will be reviewed and enhanced to facilitate smooth transition into curfew hours.
He urged the public to plan their movements accordingly with a view to beating the curfew hours.
“We are also fully alive to the fact that there are construction works on major roads within the metropolis, and we urge wananchi to plan their movements accordingly with a view to beating the curfew hours,” he added.
“If we all step up voluntary compliance with these measures, then we have a chance to reach the globally recommended five percent positivity rate, and the total reopening of our economy and country shall come sooner that we projected.”
Kianda was reacting to reactions from a section of Nairobi residents who were caught up by a traffic operations by police to implement the curfew rules.
They were held in traffic jam for two hours before police opened up the blocked routes.
“The operations will continue,” police warned.
The dusk to dawn curfew in the country will run until May 29. Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said in a revised gazette notice dated April 12 the ongoing curfew both in the five disease infected zone and the rest of the country will run until May 29, 2021.
Those outside Nairobi City, Kajiado, Machakos, Kiambu and Nakuru counties will however start 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 period of the curfew except as shall be permitted, in writing, by a police officer in charge of the police in a county or a police officer in charge of the police in a division/sub-county.
A curfew and partial lockdown were introduced in Nairobi and the other four counties.
 | ReplyForward |
Want to send us a story? Contact Shahidi News Tel: +254115512797 (Mobile & WhatsApp)
