Police nab 40 vehicles in crackdown in Bungoma, leave passengers stranded

Written by Daniel Saenyi

An empty matatu terminus at Bungoma town following a police crackdown. Matatu operators Thursday engaged in a hide and seek game with traffic officers in Bungoma town after the law enforcers launched a vicious crackdown to net non-compliant vehicles. The dreaded operation caught the Matatu operators as the traffic officers pounced on the non suspecting drivers and conductors found flouting traffic rules and those avoiding their specified stages and routes. The police nabbed over 40 vehicles and 25 drivers are to be arraigned in court for flouting the traffic regulations. Most of the vehicles caught were found without safety belts or their speed governors were tempered with and some were just un-roadworthy which they actually deserve to be written off. The operation mostly focused on Public Service Vehicles and trucks on the busy Webuye -Malaba highway whereby they were also weighed to ensure that drivers are not overloading the vehicles. The operation was headed by the Provincial traffic officer from Kakamega and this was to be the first of many crackdowns that are coming up. Bungoma Bus station was void of vehicles leaving stranded passengers and transport charges sky rocketing to double the amount for the few vehicles left. Journeys were cut short as some routes barely had no vehicles or motorcycles to ferry passengers. According to some drivers, the police crackdown was not fair as they were not given a notice to be primed. An empty stage. They complained of the police force taking it out on them for not accepting to give them kickbacks. The passengers were an angry lot as most of them were either delayed or missed their prior arrangements. Students were not spared from the effects of the crackdown, some students complained of reporting late for school which had its own consequences. Drivers and conductors were pissed for making losses since they had to maneuver shortcuts just to avoid being caught. This also doubles the amount of fuel consumption and the passengers had to pay extra then, and this obviously caused wiles between the passengers and the conductors. The police have been accused for irresponsibility as the ambush is reckless according to some drivers; it’s easy for them to cause accidents as they try to evade capture. They demanded that the police commissioner Mathew Iteere should come up with different ways of dealing with un-roadworthy vehicles to counter the ambush crackdown routine. However, the Kenya police Deputy O.C.P.D Mr. Mutune Maweu said that they will keep on carrying out these crackdowns in anticipation of ensuring that the roads are safe which will in turn pledge the safety of road users.

Disabled people getting relief from the Disability Fund

Written by Daniel Saenyi

In the implementation of the constitution, the government has taken the disabled in consideration by providing them with the disability fund to cater for their needs. Chwele district disability fund was officially launched by the District officer Miss. Dorothy Nyukuri on 28th June 2011. Disabled people are not commonly seen moving around in the society because of stigma, and in some cases, disability is inability. Some people are extensively crippled that they can’t get through life without help. As much as disability is a pity in most cases, some cases are brought about by total arrogance or ignorance of the parents like Polio disabilities. Some parents skip the vaccinations and later blame it on the government for not helping out. Mrs. Rose Om’malia, the District Social Development Officer for Chwele during the disability fund launch in Chwele. Mrs. Rose Om’malia, the District Social Development Officer for Chwele said that the government has issued Sh 667 million in the current budget for the disabled and Sh 335 million for people with severe disabilities. The launch of the fund experienced a low turn out; reason being the meeting was a short notice though some people could not make it because they are not aware of the launch yet. Beneficiaries of the fund were asked to be ambassadors to other people so they can come out and receive the money. In the act of solving the problems of the disabled, the Chwele fund will be issued in four stages, the first stage the micro enterprise for helping the disabled to start businesses and the second is the infrastructure, and this is building schools for the disabled because they also have a right to education    (Mukhweya primary is the centre for the disabled in the area). The third phase of the disability fund is education assistance; this is whereby the disabled are provided for with money for further education. Lastly is cash transfer for the severely disabled, they will be getting Sh 1500 monthly for their own sustenance. Due to the stigma, some disabled people are kept away from the eyes of the society, this, Miss Nyukuri discouraged and urged all the residents to report any disabled people in the society to social service so that they can be aided . Before the disability fund was launched, many of the victims and their caretakers had hard time getting through life, in the case of Mrs Regina Wanyonyi , she has no legs and when her husband died, she was left with a family of two kids to take care of which has been a hustle since then. She had no means of providing for her family and neither could she get a job. The disability fund is relief for this poor lady who went on and on shouting praises for launch the fund. Mrs Regina Wanyonyi. Mr. Godwin Munyole  also said that they previously never received any recognition and their issues were lightly addressed like when they are molested or physically abused they would not be represented accordingly and the this move shows that the government is now willing to stand up for the disabled and address their issues. The disability fund is one step closer to the constitution implementation process and achieving the development goals, because we currently need all the manpower for the development and the disabled have equal rights as any other normal citizen.