•Matatu crew say they are key players in the sector hence must be involved
•Five BRT corridors will soon be launched to reduce traffic congestion in the city centre
Image: Patrick Vidija
The Transport Workers Union has protested the implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, saying they were not involved in the process.
TAWU secretary general Dan Mihadi on Friday said their members were locked out of meetings and deliberations on the implementation of the BRT.
"They have the Matatu Owners Association on board but we have never been consulted and yet we work daily in this industry. We have the technical knowledge, so it is prudent to involve us," Mihadi said.
The workers held a demonstration from Nacico Plaza office on Landhies Road to the Ministry of Transport headquarters where they presented a petition to Cabinet Secretary James Macharia.
Mihadi said failure to involve public transport workers in the BRT implementation was proof that it was poorly coordinated.
International Transport Workers Federation Africa Programmes coordinator Stephenstone Kisingu said meetings on the BRT were held secretly.
“We need our members to be represented in those meetings so that our views are heard. We're the ones expected to implement the system and yet we are left in the dark,” Kisingu said.
Transport PS Charles Hinga told the workers they will be involved because they were important players.
“The BRT comes with job opportunities for you so we'll work with your union leaders to ensure your views are represented,” Hinga said.
The national government and City Hall are partnering to implement an integrated transport system that uses both trains and the BRT buses.
The five BRT corridors in Nairobi will soon be launched to reduce traffic congestion in the city centre and facilitate easy movement of passengers.
In January, Macharia announced the government will be acquiring the first batch of 64 buses from South Africa.
The buses were initially to be bought from local assemblers but the government changed mind after local fabricators of passenger service vehicle bodies failed to meet its specifications.
The buses will be deployed on the already-marked Thika Superhighway and other major roads within Nairobi. The buses were to arrive towards the end of February but nothing has been said about them since.
The BRT corridors include Limuru-Kangemi-CBD-Imara Daima –Athi River to Kitengela road.
Other motorways identified are Rongai, Bomas-CBD-Ruiru-Thika- Kenol-Murang’a road and Tala-Njiru-Dandora–CBD-Ngong road.
The fourth line will run from Mama Lucy Hospital-Doonholm to the CBD while final line also referred as ‘Nyati’ will start from Ridgeways on Kiambu road to Balozi and end up in Imara Daima.
The corridors are expected to hold up to 950 high capacity buses, Macharia said. That should reduce travel time and cost by up to 70 per cent, the CS said.
In November last year, the Sh9.6 billion BRT got a major boost after the European Union committed a Sh5 billion in grant.