Transport operations were paralysed for the third day, affecting commuters and residents of in Mikindani, Jomvu sub-county, Mombasa.
Matatus operators took to the streets for the third day on Friday, to protest alleged harassment from traffic officers and county askaris over picking and dropping of passengers in the CBD.
Mikindani ward MCA Renson Thoya was on Wednesday afternoon arrested alongside four matatu operators by the police and taken to Central police station.
The ODM county lawmaker was arrested after he led protests from Mikindani to Mombasa CBD, paralysing transport operations along Mombasa-Nairobi highway at Kibarani.
Hundreds of matatu operators plying the CBD-Mikindani route participated in the protests, demanding for a permanent bus stop.
They decried harassment from County officials and traffic police, after they were moved from the usual Yukay bus stop at Mwembe Tayari by the county inspectorate to a bus station in the same area.
The operators are demanding for a designated bus stop to enable them conduct their operations.
On Friday, commuters from Mikindani were stranded from both ends after matatu conductors and drivers withdrew their vehicles to protest in a bid to push the county administration to allocate a stage for them.
Passengers were forced to use tuk tuks and boda bodas as alternative means of transport to their destinations.
Matatu Owners Association Coast coordinator Salim Mbarak faulted the county government for harassing matatus plying the Mikindani route, saying stakeholders were not consulted before ejecting the operators from the Yukay stage.
Thoya who was later released, asked the operators to stay put until they get a stage.
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