If you were planning to catch the night Madaraka Express train from Mombasa to Nairobi on Sunday, chances are that you were left stranded.

Kenya Railways suspended the 10PM Madaraka Express passenger service at the last minute, leaving scores of travellers stuck at the coast.

In a short public notice, the rail operator blamed technical issues for the cancellation and indicated that the move was taken as a safety measure.

But many passengers were not buying it, especially with the Saba Saba paralysing public protests expected to take place in Nairobi and across other cities and towns on Monday.

No official from Kenya Railways has explained exactly what the “technical” hitch is, when the SGR train will be back in service or whether the stranded passengers will be refunded.

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What is clear is that this suspension has come at the worst possible time, just as crowds of young people were making their way back to the capital after a weekend of partying in Diani.

Earlier in the day, traffic along the Mombasa-Diani Road came to a standstill after police erected up roadblocks surprising many travelers and other road users.

They were reportedly targeting vehicles leaving the Diani Summer Tide Festival, fearing that some revellers were heading to Nairobi to take part in Monday’s Saba Saba protests.

Eyewitnesses say police were stopping each vehicle, questioning drivers and passengers, some of whom were chanting "Wantam," a popular anti-Government youth slogan.

The result? Delays, confusion, and many missed the 3PM SGR train back to Nairobi.

And with the 10PM train now cancelled too, hundreds more of passengers have been forced to find alternative means to travel back to Nairobi or postpone their journeys altogether.

For a country already on edge ahead of the Monday Saba Saba protests, the cancelled train and police crackdowns are only adding fuel to the fire and heightening the tension.

No arrests have been confirmed, but authorities insist that the checks erected by police were all meant to keep the public safe even as many members of the public remained skeptical.

Either way, the chaos and confusion that has rocked the travel from Mombasa this weekend is a stark reminder that movement is political, especially when protest season rolls around.