• President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the construction of the expressway on Mombasa Road on October 16, 2019.
• Bus rapid transit, bicycle lanes, walking paths, non-motorised transit better at decongesting city
Image: COURTESY:
Implementation of Sh62 billion JKIA-Westlands Expressway in Nairobi are shrouded in secrecy, an NGO has said.
World Resources Institute vice president and regional director for Africa Wanjira Mathai said on Tuesday there has been no disclosure of critical documents pertaining to the massive project and its impact on Uhuru Park.
The institute is a global research non-profit organisation
"It is important to have transparency on what is actually happening. Last week we saw the environmental impact assessment was being proposed to be done, " Mathai said.
Wanjira spoke on the sidelines of Africa Environment Day and the commemoration of Wangari Mathai day at Uhuru Park's Freedom Corner.
She said environmental impact assessments should have been done long before the project begins.
Last week we saw the environmental impact assessment was being proposed to be done ... there's an effort to work backwards to justify the project.Wanjira Mathai of World Resources Institute
"It seems to us in the general public that there is an effort to sort of work backwards to justify the project," she said.
World Resources is a global research organisation working on six goals the world must achieve to secure a sustainable future: climate, energy, food, forests, water, cities and transport.
President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the construction of an expressway on Mombasa Road on October 16, 2019.
Uhuru said the project is intended to ease traffic along Mombasa Road to save commuters time.
Wanjira, who is also chair of the Wangari Maathai foundation said the expressway is not necessary.
She said one thing she is learning about urban mobility is that there is no need to build such roads as "it is not always the best solution".
Wanjira said decongesting the city is not about more highways.
"Decongesting the city could be about better management of the flow of traffic, it could be a better option for people to ride a bus. We need bus rapid transit, non-motorised transit, bicycle lanes, walking paths. Some of those are much more efficient in helping to decongest and especially manage traffic," she said.
In November last year, the Green Belt Movement demanded the government produce structural designs for the expressway.
It said the yet-to-be-launched project threatens the iconic Uhuru Park.
Conservationists have already warned against the project saying it will deal a major blow to the park which was gazetted in 1969.
Wanjira said Kenyans must be vigilant as there are efforts to put up the highway.
"A lot of people are interested and concerned as it will set a bad precedence if it touches on Uhuru Park because we need these green spaces," she said.
Wanjira said in the next 50 years the city will require green spaces to survive.
"There is a lot of research now about how important these green spaces are. We are lucky to have them, let us keep them," she said.
Green Belt movement chairperson Marion Kamau said urban green spaces improve air quality, alleviate urban heat and provide a place to relax.
"It shields from silent killer that is pollution," she said.
Kamau said Wangari Mathai prevented construction of a 60-storey building in Uhuru Park.
The original designs of the Sh62 billion road project showed that the expressway would cut through the famous recreational park, sparking public outrage. This means Sh4.1 billion would have to be used for compensation.
Following objections by conservationists, the government announced that it had suspended the plan, albeit verbally. The four-lane carriageway once completed will run over 27km, linking Mlolongo and JKIA to the Nairobi-Nakuru highway in Westlands.
The project is meant to ease the flow of traffic. It will be funded by China Roads and Bridge Company, which built the standard gauge railway.
CRBC will recoup its investment from tolls.
Motorists are expected to pay between Sh111 and Sh555 to use the JKIA-Westlands Expressway and the Chinese contractor will profit Sh108.5 billion in the long run.
CRBC is projected to make Sh186.2 billion in revenue for the 27 years it will operate the road, between 2023 and 2049, before handing over the project to the government.
Two activists have challenged the expressway in court.
Henry Shitanda and Rhoda Aoko argue that there was no public participation and the project is being done in secrecy.
(Edited by V. GrahamO)