Belgut Member of Parliament (MP) Nelson Koech has claimed that the temporary suspension of the 10:00 PM Madaraka Express passenger train service from Mombasa to Nairobi on Sunday was prompted by an attack threat.
The legislator intimated that intelligence reports revealed that there was a plan to attack passengers aboard the night train along the busy Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) route.
“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,” he claimed on Citizen TV.
Kenya Railways, via a statement on Sunday, emphasized that passenger safety remains its top priority and that the move was made out of an abundance of caution.
“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,” read part of the notice.
Kenya Railways apologized for the inconvenience caused and did not provide immediate details on the nature of the technical problem or when the service is expected to resume.
Affected passengers were later advised to report to the Mombasa terminus by Monday, 8 AM for travel.
The abrupt suspension came after police officers mounted roadblocks along the Mombasa-Diani Road targeting youths returning from the Diani Summer Tide Festival, causing a major traffic snarl-up.
Authorities reportedly acted on intelligence suggesting that some youths aboard the vehicles—many of whom were heard chanting “Wantam”—were planning to travel to Nairobi to join the upcoming Saba Saba commemoration on Monday.
The roadblocks remained reinforced in Nairobi and its outskirts as of Monday morning, forcing citizens to walk miles to reach their workplaces.
