Kenyans will now be able to travel from Nairobi to Mombasa and vise versa after Kenya Railways launched night train services following an exemption from the curfew.
According to a statement from the corporation, two trains will be operating at night, one from Mombasa and another from Nairobi, both leaving at 9 pm and arriving at 3 am.
The announcement comes at a time President Uhuru Kenyatta extended the curfew to March 2021 with PSVs still banned from moving at night.
A regular end-to-end ticket will cost 1,000 shillings while a first-class one will cost 3,000 shillings. Children between 5 and 11 years will be able to travel at half the cost.
At the same time, Transport CS Mr. James Macharia has announced the release of 20 trains that will be facilitating movement within Nairobi for Kenyans to freely move to different points.
The train between Nairobi and Nanyuki also operates daily with at least 1,500 passengers on board. The government says it is considering adding another train on the route.
Public Service Vehicles (PSV)
With the curfew still in place, public service vehicles are only allowed to operate between 4 am and 10 pm. Those found beyond the hours are arrested.
Kenyans who used to travel at night by road were infuriated by the decision by the Head of State to extend the curfew saying it is playing no role in fighting Covid-19.
Some in the transport sector feel the government is using the curfew to control the private transport sector by manipulating Kenyans to use SGR.
“It is like telling us that bus drivers cannot see clearly at night but that of SGR can hence be exempted from the curfew,” said one long-distance driver.
The current curfew that has been in place since March 2020 marks one year on March 12, 2020. With the new strain of Covid-19 in place, the curfew might just never come to an end.
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READ: Co-curricular Activities In Schools Banned, Curfew Extended To March