A section of Nairobians is going through hell from millions of blood-sucking bedbugs that are taking them through hell and posing a health challenge to thousands of them.
Most of the affected areas include Eastleigh, Umoja, Donholm, Mlango Kubwa, and parts of Allsopps with some households opting to move out of their rented apartments.
The Nairobi-based bedbugs are so vicious that the common insecticides are unable to eliminate them. In some estates like Huruma, some plots are so infested that people are unable to spend a night in their houses.
“These things are like vampires. They feed purely on human blood. Once they invade your house, you become the visitor and they become the real owners. You will never know peace,” said Alice Nyambura, an angry resident of Huruma.
Most Nairobians say that they are picking the bedbugs from Nairobi matatus where thousands of them are invaded by bedbugs.
Some of the matatus playing Baba Gogo, Huruma, Mathare, and Eastleigh are old with torn and tattered cushions providing a haven for bedbugs.
Given that 86 percent of Nairobians use Matatus, chances are high that soon bedbugs will be well-distributed across the whole city.
There are at least 10,000 registered buses in Nairobi and at least 20,000 small cans that ferry passengers from one place to another.
Residents in affected areas are calling on the County Government of Nairobi led by Governor Johnson Sakaja to help them fight the bedbugs.
They have also called on NTSA to crack down on matatus that are old, smelly, and infested with bedbugs if we want to control the menace.
“Bedbugs often hide in those dark places like in the corners, in seats, in beds, and anything woody. Boiling water can help reduce them. Boil water and pour in these corners, beds, as well as washing virtually everything in your house,” said Agness, a resident in Eastleigh.
