•He said through the operational lease the government will acquire the buses in a delivery schedule of between one and three months.
•Gitau said the government is keen on Kasarani and Nairobi central railway station as the portion is set for testing and pilot phase.
Image: HANDOUT
The government is proposing procuring buses to pilot the Bus Rapid Transit through an operational lease.
Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority chief executive Francis Gitau said the move will ensure buses are procured faster.
“If we go for procurement of buses through buying, it will take a long time and because manufacturing usually has a lead time of six to nine months that will be a very long time,” Gitau said.
The Namata CEO said through the operational lease, the government acquire the buses in a delivery schedule of between one and three months as it can’t afford to have a demarcated corridor without buses.
Gitau said the government is keen on Kasarani and Nairobi central railway station as the portion is set for testing and pilot phase.
The Namata boss said last year, the big win was agreeing on the structure of the bus operating company.
Gitau said the formation of a bus operating company was taking shape.
“We have come up with a structure that we are ready to release to the market. We will be distributing bus operating structure for industrial dialogue,” he said.
Gitau said the dialogue will revolve around the shareholding of the company, capitalisation, company board and how can that company can become a worthy partner with other investors in the BRT space.
He said the bus operating company will have people who will provide the systems, the fleet, the government institutions and a rolling out date will be given.
Gitau said the acceptance of the bus operating company structure will be the next win.
He said the details of the shareholding structure, how the companies, saccos and key stakeholders get to buy into the company will be the company’s mandate.
“We will be happy to see the company go to their first annual general meeting to elect their leaders,” he said.
He, however, said organising them is critical because they feel they have a government partnership.
Gitau said once the company has been helped to stabilise, the government will be stepping back.
The shareholders of the bus operating company will include operators such as matatu saccos, companies and key stakeholders.
Gitau said the goal is to have them operate better in terms of their bottom line, operational planning and management framework but organised to deliver negotiated service.
The Namata boss said after a bus operating company has been formed, a service contract will be signed.
The contract will include the service quality index.
“That service quality index is very important, it hitches around comfort, reliability, fare system, affordability, safety, operational hours and labour targets,” he said.
The transport service contract will be agreed upon next.
This will include a maintenance contract, revenue sharing and managing.
Namata was established by President Uhuru Kenyatta on February 9, 2017.
It covers Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Murang’a counties.
The authority is mandated to establish an integrated, efficient, effective, and sustainable public transport system.
Namata has gazetted five BRT lines which are in different phases of development.
The feasibility study for Line 1, which is called Ndovu, is under review while Line 2, called Simba, is under construction.
“Detailed design for Line 3 has been submitted while finance is being sought for Line 4,” Gitau said.
He said funding for Line 5 has been obtained from Korea Exim Bank.
On February 26, 2019, Transport CS James Macharia gazetted transport corridors in the city.
BRT Line 1 runs from Limuru-Kangemi-CBD-Imara Daima-Athi River and Kitengela.
Line 2 runs from Rongai-Bomas-Langata Road-CBD-Ruiru-Thika and Kenol.
Line 3, called Chui, runs from Tala-Njiru-Dandora (Juja Road)-CBD-Show Ground (Ngong Road) and Ngong.
Line 4, which is called Kifaru, is composed of East and West.
The East one runs from Mama Lucy Hospital-Donholm (Jogoo Road)-CBD.
The West one runs from CBD- T Mall-Bomas-Karen and Kikuyu.
BRT Line 5, which is also called Nyati, traverses Ridgeways (Kiambu Road)-Balozi (Allsops) and Imara Daima.
Commuter rail networks which include Nairobi-Limuru town, Nairobi-Ngong town, Nairobi-Kenol, Muranga, Nairobi-Kiambu town, Nairobi-Ruai town, Nairobi-JKIA and Nairobi-Konza have also been gazetted.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris