It is Christmas, the season that most people travel to Coastal Kenya for celebrations. To boda boda operators, this could have come as good news as their business could go higher as more visitors flock the region. However, this has not been the case! Police have banned boda boda operations after 8pm in the region.
Regional police commander Noah Mwivanda said the move was a temporary security measure to ensure visitors and residents are safe.
He said thugs are taking advantage of boda boda operations to instill fear and rob unsuspecting Kenyans.
The ban followed barely a day after three people died as a result of an M-Pesa shop robbery in Shanzu.
“All boda boda within build-up areas should not operate beyond that time as stated,” Mwivanda said.
Build-up areas are those with security threats and are usually densely populated.
These include Kisauni, Likoni, downtown Nyali, and some areas with the CBD including Majengo and Old Town.
Mwivanda said the ban will be enforced until after the New Year celebrations.
He said the police are following crucial leads from items the Shanzu M-Pesa robbers dropped as they fled the scene.
“We will make sure we bring these fellows to book,” the regional police commander said.
He said the ban is “a small price for people to suffer to ensure the region remains safe.”
Mwivanda dispelled fears that the region is insecure adding that the Shanzu attack was an isolated incident.
He said police have mapped out hot spots where they have increased surveillance both in the air and on the ground.
These, he said, include bars, restaurants, malls, churches, mosques, and other social joints in the built-up areas.
“So, nobody should fear to visit these places,” Mwivanda said.
He said enough police officers have been deployed across the region from Kiunga to Lunga Lunga to Mwatate.