Two cops, 3 civilians injured as lorry rams into police roadblock on Thika Road
Two police officers and three civilians were on Monday night injured when a lorry rammed into a roadblock mounted along Thika Road, Nairobi.
Two police officers and three civilians were on Monday night injured when a lorry rammed into a roadblock mounted along Thika Road, Nairobi.
The roadblock had been mounted in the Roasters area to enable police to implement the Covid-19 pandemic containment measures and in particular the curfew rules.
Witnesses and police said the accident happened when a speeding lorry headed for the CBD rammed onto a police lorry that had blocked the highway to enable police to conduct a search on motorists caught up in the menace.
Police have been deployed on major routes to implement the measures aimed at containing the spread of the disease.
A roadblock had been mounted at the Roasters area at about 10.40 pm when a driver of a lorry rammed onto a police lorry forming part of the blockade injuring at least five people.
Police say one officer sustained a dislocation on the left arm while the second one had head injuries. They were rushed to the hospital in stable condition.
Three people who were on board the lorry that caused the accident were also injured with two having injuries on the legs and one on the head.
They were admitted to a city hospital in stable condition.
The driver of the lorry was arrested and told police he lost control of it as he approached the roadblock.
The incident came a day after the Pangani Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Samir Yunus was also injured in the head as he manned a roadblock along Dr Griffins Road when a speeding motorcycle ran over him.
Officials said Chief Inspector Yunus sustained head injuries after he fell out of a heavy knock he got from the rider.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was admitted.
Police authorities said the cyclist was arrested and the motorcycle detained.
The cyclist told officials he lost control of it as he sped home to beat the curfew rule.
The accident happened at about 8.30 pm. A curfew and partial lockdown were introduced in Nairobi and the other four counties to help contain the spread of the disease.
For the third day, some motorists were detained at various sites for flouting the curfew rules.
On Saturday night, it took two hours before police finally allowed motorists using the routes to drive through the blockages past 11 pm.
Citing the 8 pm curfew rule, security officers erected the roadblocks and stated those caught there had flouted the law.
Hundreds of Nairobi residents were stuck on busy routes.
The latest victims were Form Four students who had finished their exams earlier in the day on Monday.
We also note with concern that there is a wilful violation of these protocols in estates, especially prohibition of large in-person gatherings and compliance with curfew restrictions and other health protocols.
Nairobi regional commissioner James Kianda
Some of the teachers and students who had sought refuge at Uhuru Park as night fell said that they had arrived late after travelling from various parts of the country and encountering heavy traffic jams on the way.
They were later accommodated at a local church.
A spot-check showed scores of students from various schools across the country huddled in the park, unsure of how and when they would get home.
The Ministry of Education had previously directed all schools across the country to plan how students would travel into and out of the five counties currently under lockdown.
Students on transit must be dressed in full school uniform and have a letter of introduction from their respective schools.
Some of those stranded took to social media to share their predicament, saying they had been informed they would stay at the sites until 4 am.
Ambulances were however allowed to pass through the roadblocks.
Officials said the move was necessitated after it emerged there was no compliance to Covid rules.
Nairobi regional commissioner James Kianda said a routine review and assessment of the implementation of the Covid-19 containment measures showed compliance with the said guidelines within the Nairobi metropolitan area is below 50 per cent.
Kianda reminded Kenyans that each life matters and they must all take part in breaking the chain of transmission of the virus.
“However stringent these rules may appear, they are imperative for our survival. As such, civic responsibility is a more potent weapon in this war than enforcement of the guidelines by the police,” he said.
Going forward, he added, traffic management will be reviewed and enhanced to facilitate a smooth transition into curfew hours.
He urged the public to plan their movements accordingly with a view to beating the curfew hours.
“We are also fully alive to the fact that there are construction works on major roads within the metropolis, and we urge wananchi to plan their movements accordingly with a view to beating the curfew hours,” he added.
“If we all step up voluntary compliance with these measures, then we have a chance to reach the globally recommended five per cent positivity rate, and the total reopening of our economy and country shall come sooner than we projected.”
The dusk to dawn curfew in the country will run until May 29.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said in a revised gazette notice dated April 12 the ongoing curfew both in the five disease infected zone and the rest of the country will run until May 29, 2021.
Those outside Nairobi City, Kajiado, Machakos, Kiambu and Nakuru counties will however start their curfew from 10 pm to 4 am.
The order says there shall be no public gatherings, processions or movement either alone or as a group during the period of the curfew except as shall be permitted, in writing, by a police officer in charge of the police in a county or a police officer in charge of the police in a division/subcounty.
Source:The star
