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| Armed police officers patrol the public beach along Lake Naivasha where visitors came for boat riding and bird viewing. There was tight security around the lakeside town which recorded a high number of visitors compared to last year. [PHOTO: ANTONY GITONGA/STANDARD] |
Travellers were forced to spend the night in the cold after PSV vehicles were nabbed by traffic officers and National Transport and Safety Authority officials in Naivasha.
The Saturday night crackdown was conducted near the Delamere shopping centre and at least ten buses and matatus were arrested for operating against the stipulated time.
More than 15 drunk drivers were also arrested and locked up at the Naivasha Police Station.
A senior police officer, who declined to be named, said they were targeting public service vehicles heading upcountry.
He said most of the nabbed PSVs were not authorised to travel at night while others were on the wrong routes.
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Not fair
Stranded passengers however castigated the officers saying they were being punished for "other peoples sins".
One of the passengers, Edward Wafula, who was heading to Kakamega from Nairobi said he and his family had been forced to book a room in Naivasha.
"When we boarded the bus we were not told that its not allowed to travel at night and this situation has now caused a crisis for us," he said.
At the same time, Naivasha county assembly members and residents have praised security officers for the peaceful festive season.
The MCAs termed the period as one of the most peaceful in the lakeside town noting that no ugly incident was reported.
County Assembly Implementation Committee Chairman, Simon Wanyoike, said despite their hard working conditions, officers made sure the town remained peaceful.
"We noticed an increase in the number of police officers around this town and we thank them for a good job," he said.
His sentiments were echoed by nominated MCA Esther Njeri who said crime has gone down tremendously.
"We thank our officers for a job well done and urge residents to continue supporting them by offering them information on suspicious people," she said.
Booming business
She noted that this year, the lakeside town recorded the highest number of visitors and credited this on improved security and a competitive hospitality industry.
Meanwhile hundreds of tourists flocked Masai Mara Game Reserve during the Christmas holiday amid tight security.
Visitors arrived by road and air from Friday last week to give hoteliers brisk business after a two months lull.
Hoteliers told The Standard that about 80 per cent of all bookings were locals while 20 per cent were foreign tourists.
All exclusive lodges and tented camps were fully booked with their proprietors saying they expect the bookings to fizzle out in the first week of next month.
Uniformed and plain-clothed security personnel were stationed at all entry points to the establishments and they also monitored game viewing and balloon expeditions.
"We will maintain the security until visitors leave and will keep on reviewing the situation. If there will be need for additional personnel, we will deploy more," said Narok police boss Paul Letting.
