Pressure is growing on the government to review curfew hours in the COVID-zoned area of Nairobi, Nakuru, Kajiado, Kiambu, and Machakos counties.

Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and the National Council of NGOs on Wednesday joined the growing calls to President Uhuru Kenyatta to extend the starting time of the dusk to dawn to curfew.

In a statement to newsrooms, NGO Council Chairman Stephen K. Cheboi said the current 8 pm curfew time has proved challenging for many Kenyans as they struggle to make a living and return home in time.

“What was witnessed in Thika Road in recent days and also in other places in some parts of the country where law enforces clashes with citizens or people arrested for not adhering to COVID19 regulations is not pleasing and thus the need for all of us to be responsible in one way or another,” he said.

The Council wants the curfew time pushed to 9 pm.

Sakaja on the other hand implored the President to review the curfew hours from 8 pm to 10 pm to relieve commuters of the difficulties they face in the public transport sector.

The Senator noted that the major infrastructural projects happening in the city centre with the JKIA-Westlands Expressway were causing a lot of traffic snarl-ups in the city.

“I hold that the 8 pm curfew imposed in Nairobi be reviewed upwards to earliest 10 pm due to the nature of our public transport as well as livelihoods,” he said.

At the same time, Sakaja said it was unfortunate that Form Four students were caught up in the curfew, forcing them to spend the night in the cold as there were no matatus to take them home.

“As a parent, it was very hurtful to see school children who are just from finishing their exams spending the night in the cold as a result of the 8 pm curfew,” he said.

“Many innocent people are caught out with the curfew and as the Senator of Nairobi I can only plead with the President to kindly revise the curfew time,” he added.