BRT to reduce greenhouse emissions, says Namata

The implementation of Bus Rapid Transport along line three is at an advanced stage, the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority has said.

Namata chief executive Francis Gitau said the line is the most advanced project in terms of preparation, adding that the project will curb greenhouse gas emissions.

“The Kenya in National Climatic Change Action Plan which is Act number 11 of 2016 has the allowance of climate-smart solutions that will promote low carbon emissions,” he said.

The National Climate Change Action Plan 2018-2022, is a five-year plan that helps Kenya adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“If we were to reduce travel time by 15 to 20 per cent, we may contribute to the five per cent targets that are set by 2030. Line three is being called the green line BRT,” he said.

Gitau said line three will continue in another phase to Tala from Dandora and Ngong in another phase.

“It will tie Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos and Kiambu. The purpose of BRT is to provide fast, frequent, reliable clean, safe and affordable transport,” he said.

Gitau said the project will improve mobility of the low-income groups and reduce congestion, on the road corridors and improve access to Nairobi.

Namata was established by President Uhuru Kenyatta on February 9, 2017.

The authority covers Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Murang’a to establish an integrated, efficient, effective and sustainable public transport system.

On February 26, 2019, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia gazetted transport corridors in the city.

BRT Lines

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-Showground (Ngong Road) and Ngong.

Line 4, called Kifaru, is comprised of East and West.

The East runs from Mama Lucy Hospital-Donholm (Jogoo Road)-CBD and the West 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.

Gitau said the scope of the project is to provide the infrastructure and stations and transport facilities.

He said there will also be a fleet of 120 electric buses that are 18 metres. “With that high capacity buses and being electric, there will be a reduction of air pollution.” 

The capacity for each bus is 140 passengers.

Gitau said the success of the line will provide the basis for extension to other routes.

“We will quietly make third-generation corridor, that service high demand areas,” he said.

Gitau said line three of BRT will traverse Kenyatta National Hospital, Haile Selassie, Central Business District, Race Course Road, Ring Road Ngara, Juja Road and ends in Dandora.

At Dandora, there will be a very large depot that will accommodate workshops, bus management centre and will be integrating rail services which are serviced by the commuter rail services.

The depot has parking for the BRT fleet, will also have charging facilities, and cleaning, fuelling and maintenance areas.

Line three will touch the subcounties of Dagoretti North, Kibera, Starehe, Kamukunji, Mathare, Embakasi West and North, areas considered high demands.

The Namata CEO said the project is complex as there are some sections that can easily be implemented and others that are difficult.

It will be built in sections.

“From  [Kenyatta National Hospital and Nairobi] Hospital to Haile Selassie is a section that can easily be built because it is right of way," Gitau said. 

"The other section from Haile Selassie to Kware Road is difficult because there is a settlement. Then there is Kware Road to Muratina Street to Outer Ring Road.” 

The last one is from Outer Ring Road to Dandora Station.

Gitau said they are expecting the project to be a very high-performance system because it has very efficient boarding and alighting functions.

He said the buses are expected to have an average speed of 20 to 25km/h.

“It will not be very fast in terms of speed but the efficiency of flow without congestion and traffic jams will make that corridor very efficient. We have 15 BRT stations including the two terminals and KNH and Dandora.”

Gitau said the tickets will be validated at the entries, adding that there will be nine elevated structures such as footbridges, fly over and underpasses.

The Kariokor market is set to have an elevation to avoid the project affecting the market.

Utilities such as water, power and sewer will be relocated by the implementation unit working as a multi-agency team.

Gitau said the cycle tracks and sidewalks that are four metres wide will also be included while the lanes used by buses will be a dedicated corridor.

Unlike the Thika road corridor, line three will have overtaking lanes.

BRT Management

The BRT will be managed by an operator who will be running the daily activities such as washing, deploying, and scheduling, managing human resource in accordance with Kenyan law and under contract pegged on public transportation standards that has performance indices.

Gitau said the indices include safety, liability, comfort and affordability.

A project implementation consultant is set to be procured who will help in implementing and following up on the resettlement of project-affected persons.

In March, Nema asked the public to submit comments on an environmental and social impact assessment report for the proposed line 3.

“Before we procure this project, we will have gotten Nema's approval because these approvals are the ones we are going to work on now. We will also have gotten a nod from the National Treasury in terms of the financing model,” he said.

The BRT project has been allocated Sh1.2 billion in the 2022-23 budget.

Gitau said they will implement the resettlement in accordance with the expected displacement because it is pegged on the European investment bank’s standards, adding that it will be very strictly implemented.

The CEO said a stakeholder engagement plan and resettlement action plan will be in place to guide the process.

Gitau said line two is 50 to 60 per cent complete but work on the ground is being combined with the work in the factory (fabrication of the steel).

For the testing phase of the Thika Road line, two stations in Kasarani and Nairobi Central Station will be used.

Stations in between will be completed.

Gitau said they are in the process of procuring buses as a tender evaluation has been done. “It was in many stages, it was responsiveness, then we went to technical evaluation, financial evaluation and we went to the face of negotiations.”

The Namata CEO said there is a very short delivery cycle for buses.

“The first buses are predicated on a very short delivery period. If we were able to award (tender) by end of this month, maybe we could get the buses by end of August," he said. 

"If we are awarded in August, we will get buses by end of September. It depends on the administrative processes.”

Gitau said there is a concept for line one in terms of stations stretching from Kitengela to Kabete.

He said a feasibility study has been done that will lead to a detailed design.

For line five (Outer Ring Road), there is a consultant in place doing detailed design.

It is being championed under Kenya Urban Roads as it was packaged long before Namata was in place.

“Once the detailed design is done, we already have financing. This is the project we expect to be rolled out by 2024,” Gitau said.

No progress has been made in line four (Jogoo Road).

(edited by Amol Awuor)