Coast bound passengers stranded as buses clamped over parking fees

Passengers heading to the Coast were Thursday left stranded after City Hall staff clamped buses over unpaid seasonal parking fees.

The passengers, who had arrived as early as 6.30am, were forced by county askaris to disembark from the buses as the county government launched a major crackdown on PSVs that had not paid parking fees.

Head of parking in Nairobi County Fredrick Ndunyu said that the operation was targeting all public service vehicles.

“If these vehicles had paid for the seasonal tickets as required we would not be inconveniencing their passengers. We would get our revenue and their business would go on,”said Mr Ndunyu.

He said that some PSV operators had resorted to hiding their vehicles while waiting for parking attendants to leave teh area so they could continue with business.

Passengers were ordered to disembark from two Coast Air buses, two Mash Poa, and a Coast Bus before the vehicles were towed to City Hall’s holding centres.

Coast Air passengers had arrived early but as it was about to leave it was clamped and passengers forced to alight.

Dumila Mohammad, a passenger, said City Hall should deal with management and not involve passengers who are not part of their problem.

He said that he was on the 6.30am bus and passengers had settled down for departure before the city askaris stormed in and ordered them to alight before clamping.

“I do not understand what is wrong with them. We were about to leave when we realized the bus was clamped and we were ordered to disembark,” said Mr Dumilla.

He said that since Coast Air was a known company the county staff should have held talks with them and asked for their dues.

Another bus that had arrived from the Mombasa was intercepted by city vehicles and passengers forced out.

A Coast Bus had just picked its passengers and left its station only to be intercepted on Accra Road with the county askaris ordereing the passengers out and clamped the vehicle.

Deputy head of parking  department Paul Wanga  said that buses pay a monthly parking ticket of Sh7,000 while mini buses pay Sh5,250 . Those not in a Sacco part with Sh10,000.

Mr Wanga said that other vehicles they had impounded were those heading to Nyahururu and Narok.

He called upon the public to support them during the crackdown.