Residents of Kisumu have accused town service vehicles of exploiting them by increasing fares following the heavy downpour experienced in the area on Monday morning.
Speaking on Monday, the affected residents said that it was wrong for the touts to hike prices, adding to their miseries following the heavy rains that crippled most operations in the lakeside town.
The commuters are accusing the vehicle owners of exploitation meant to benefit themselves alone.
“This is so wrong, did our money increase when the rains started? These conductors should be realistic in setting their prices because all of us are looking for the same money,” said Monicah Akumu.
The affected locals are from the estates of Mamboleo, Migosi and Nyahera, where fare was hiked by at least sh20 regardless the distance one was traveling to.
One will normally require Sh30 when moving from Mamboleo to Kisumu CBD but today the price was Sh50 regardless of the distance.
The commuters said that they have strict budgets that they are adhering to and if it is altered in any way they are bound to suffer in the long run.
However some of the drivers who responded to the accusations saying that they are forced to hike the fares due to various reasons among them cost of petrol.
“When it rains, traffic jams are the order of the day. We spent a lot of time in jams and consume a lot of fuel. The only way to recover the fuel is by hiking the prices,” said Martin Ndolo, a conductor plying the CBD Mamboleo route.
The commuters have called on the Kisumu County government to regulate the transport sector to avert future exploitation.