Transport was on Friday paralysed for more than seven hours along Mombasa Road after demonstrating boda boda operators barricaded the road for alleged extortion by police officers.
The rioters from 39 boda boda stages in the region closed the road in three different points at Mto Wa Mawe, Devki and Sabaki along Mombasa Road in Athi River town as they engaged police officers in running battles.
“We are being arrested by traffic officers unnecessarily, three of our colleagues were stopped by the officers at Devki while on Mombasa Road and keys to their motorcycles removed while the engines were still running. When they complained, they were arrested and the motorcycles ferried to Athi River Police Station,” said an operator.
He said 15 more motorcycles were arrested when they went to the station to demand release of their colleagues prompting to the chaos.
“The officers were demanding Sh30,000 for the release of each motorcycle in their custody, we are tired and will be on the road for as long as our motocycles and colleagues are in the police station. We will not give them any bribes to release them,” said the operator.
The operators said most of the motorcycles had been damaged by break down operators while taking them to the station.
Athi River police boss Kizito Mutoro who addressed the press along the highway at Devki refuted the claims stating that those who had closed the road were hooligans.
“Our traffic officers have not done anything strange, they were in their normal daily operations to crack down boda boda operators who have not complied with the traffic rules before the chaos erupted. Some of the arrested motorcycles do not have licenses while others are road unworthy. A number of the operators did not have either driving licenses, helmets or reflector jackets,” said Mutoro.
Mutoro said the operators ganged up to close the road after their attempts to force the police to release their arrested colleagues and motorcycles failed.
He said the officers will stay on the road day and night until Tuesday next week to ensure operations on the road are not hampered with during the Easter holidays.
Mutoro who confirmed that 12 operators were already in the police cells then, said those arrested will be arraigned in court to face full force of the law asserting no any form of intimidation by the operators will deter them from doing their work