Kenyan students stranded in city as schools close
Aug 19, 2007
FOREIGN students, mainly from Kenya and Tanzania, were on Friday stranded at various bus terminals in the city.
By Juliet Waiswa
FOREIGN students, mainly from Kenya and Tanzania, were on Friday stranded at various bus terminals in the city.
“All buses plying the Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kericho routes were booked till next week,†said an official at the Akamba bus terminal.
All bus terminals that The New Vision visited were fully booked by Friday morning.
The foreign students, who were eager to return home for their second term holidays, were disappointed as they moved around the bus companies in vain.
“I have no choice but to spend the weekend with family friends in Ntinda,†said Ali Ouma, a Kenyan student of Kampala Progressive School.
For the business people, the only option was to travel by commuter taxis to the border.
The fares were, however, hiked.
The buses charged between sh25,000 and sh60,000 to Nairobi, while the taxis charged sh15,000 from Kampala to the border.
“We normally have passengers booking in the morning when the buses are leaving at 4:00pm but today it is not possible,†said David Mwanja at the Akamba terminal.
“We do not have any passenger bookings at the moment. The only day left is Wednesday at 1:00pm.
Students are going for holidays and most of them had booked earlier,†said a lady in charge of booking at the Scandinavian offices on Lumumba Avenue.
FOREIGN students, mainly from Kenya and Tanzania, were on Friday stranded at various bus terminals in the city.
“All buses plying the Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kericho routes were booked till next week,†said an official at the Akamba bus terminal.
All bus terminals that The New Vision visited were fully booked by Friday morning.
The foreign students, who were eager to return home for their second term holidays, were disappointed as they moved around the bus companies in vain.
“I have no choice but to spend the weekend with family friends in Ntinda,†said Ali Ouma, a Kenyan student of Kampala Progressive School.
For the business people, the only option was to travel by commuter taxis to the border.
The fares were, however, hiked.
The buses charged between sh25,000 and sh60,000 to Nairobi, while the taxis charged sh15,000 from Kampala to the border.
“We normally have passengers booking in the morning when the buses are leaving at 4:00pm but today it is not possible,†said David Mwanja at the Akamba terminal.
“We do not have any passenger bookings at the moment. The only day left is Wednesday at 1:00pm.
Students are going for holidays and most of them had booked earlier,†said a lady in charge of booking at the Scandinavian offices on Lumumba Avenue.