Police warn residents against city firm buses

Police have warned commuters against travelling in certain buses in Nairobi, saying they risked being robbed.

Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo said a number of buses belonging to Citi Hoppa had been carjacked and the drivers and conductors were suspected of colluding with the gangsters.

He said a bus belonging to the firm was carjacked in Nairobi every day and the management had refused to cooperate with police.

The IG posted a warning on his official Facebook page. “Citi Hoppa will be withdrawn from the roads because they carry at least two criminals in the morning and evening, thus commuters are hijacked and robbed,” he said.

Earlier, Nairobi police chief Benson Kibui had asked the firm’s managers to come to Buruburu police station following a carjacking on Thursday.

The full bus left the city at 8pm but stopped on Jogoo Road and picked up seven men who turned out to be robbers. “Three passengers were injured by the carjackers who drove the bus to Githogoro slums. They dumped them there after robbing them,” said Mr Kibui.

Citi Hoppa operations manager Githaiga Weru denied the claims. “We attended the meeting at Buruburu police station where 17 matatu saccos and bus companies were represented and were all complaining about their vehicles being carjacked. Why should police pick on us?” he asked.

On claims that the firm had defied orders to frisk passengers on boarding, Mr Weru said: “All our bus stops are manned by uniformed crew carrying metal detectors.”