Hundreds of secondary school students returning to schools in Kajiado, Kitui, Machakos and Makueni counties after the mid-term break were stranded in Nairobi on Sunday.
Hundreds of other passengers were also stranded as there were few matatus and buses, and they had to contend with hiked fares – they were doubled and in some cases tripled.
TRAFFIC JAM
Many of the vehicles were said to be stuck in the Mombasa highway traffic that had caused a gridlock for more than 15 hours since Saturday night.
The traffic was caused by an accident involving a lorry and a pick-up near the turn off to Daystar University.
But overlapping and heavy rain worsened the situation, resulting in a gridlock.
To get to and from the city, vehicles had to manoeuvre to access Kangundo Road.
HIKED FARES
The few public service vehicles that made it to the various bus stations in Nairobi charged Sh500 to Machakos Town, Sh300 more than the usual fare.
Normally, bus fare to Machakos ranges from Sh150-200.
Bus operators said they hiked fares because they had to take a longer route to get to Machakos and other towns. https://youtu.be/r0fuKDkk6SY
Stranded students at the railways station told the Nation that they could not afford the increased fares.
“We expect they will lower the fare to Sh150 so that we travel back to school,” a Machakos Boys High School student said.