Police Roadblocks to Enforce Curfew in Nairobi Causes Uproar Among Kenyans

Thousands of motorists in Nairobi were on Saturday night stuck on the roads for several hours after they were caught up in the 8 pm to 4 am curfew.

Roadblocks erected on major roads in the city including Thika Superhighway, Waiyaki Way, Mombasa Road, Jogoo Road, and Lang’ata Road caused massive traffic snarl-ups stretching several kilometers.

The move by police officers to block the roads triggered an uproar among Kenyans, who accused the authorities of being insensitive.

Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi tweeted: “Ordinary Kenyans treated as terrorists in their own country by police funded by their taxes. This is insane!”

@KobbyOby wrote: “The government's approach to containing covid is very mechanical...But again what do you expect when you designate the police force to academic dwarfs.”

Githinji Ngugi noted: “This is just wrong, I think if the curfew if for the good of the people, it should be applied relatively, otherwise it becomes a directive of oppression.”

The roadblocks mounted at 8 pm were opened up shortly after midnight.

Through a gazette notice dated April 12th, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i extended the nationwide curfew until May 29th as part of the measures to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The curfew runs between 8 pm and 4 am in the counties of Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu, Kajiado, and Nakuru, and from 10 pm to 4 am in the rest of the country.

On Sunday, government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna urged Kenyans to adhere to COVID-19 protocols as the country strives to flatten the infection curve.

"It is important that, as a people, we continue to observe the COVID-19 infection control and containment measures, if we are to quickly flatten the infection curve and have our lives get back to normal,” he said.