Suspension of the 10:00 PM Madaraka Express passenger train from Mombasa to Nairobi on Sunday was due to a security threat according to Belgut MP Nelson Koech.
MP Nelson Koech clarified that the suspension of the Madaraka Express train was not due to a technical issues as earlier announced.
Speaking on national television, Koech claimed that intelligence reports had flagged a planned attack targeting passengers aboard the night train.
Additionally, Koech alleged that the attackers intended to harm youth and other travellers and shift blame to the government, tying it to the Saba Saba demonstrations.
“There was intelligence that there was a team of people who wanted to attack the train and the young people in it and blame it on the government,”
“We regret to notify members of the public that due to technical issues, the Madaraka Express 10 PM passenger train from Mombasa to Nairobi has been suspended,”
The cancellation coincided with a police operation along the Mombasa-Diani Road, where security officers mounted roadblocks targeting youth returning from the Diani Summer Tide Festival.
The crackdown caused significant traffic disruptions along the route which spilled over to Monday morning.
As the nation experienced nationwide lockdown of transportation services, passengers in transit from as early as 3am were left stranded at entry points into Nairobi CBD.
Several long-distance buses bound for Nairobi’s Central Business District from the Nairobi Malaba Highway via Waiyaki Way remained stranded at Kabete Police Station after being blocked from entering the city.
