• Sakaja had directed that long-distance matatus be moved to the Green Park terminus effective December 1.
• Previous efforts to decongest the city centre were met with backlash and resistance.
Image: HANDOUT
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's warning to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to go slow on plans to eject matatus from the City Centre could signal yet another failed attempt to decongest the CBD.
Gachagua on Monday said removing matatus from the CBD would disrupt business.
"I shall sit down with Sakaja because we are the ones who elected him. We must first discuss anything that can disrupt business in Nairobi. We don't need a lot of speed, go slow," he said.
Sakaja had directed that long-distance matatus be moved to the Green Park terminus effective December 1.
Previous efforts to decongest the city centre were met with backlash and resistance.
First, it was the Matatu Owners Association who lashed out at the governor for allegedly failing to involve them in his decongestion plan.
Association chairman Simon Kimutai said the governor failed to involve them, but instead engaged “cartels and brokers”.
“Call the people you want to engage with, talk to them and let them give you the best method,” Kimutai said.
Kimutai spoke on December 2 at Kenyatta International Convention Centre during the association’s annual general meeting.
He said Sakaja won’t succeed by using force to remove matatus from CBD.
“Look at it now, the court has stopped it. What happens now? Now you start going to legal issues and you can’t succeed. The best thing is stakeholder engagement involvement in a decision that affects their business is very important,” Kimutai said.
He advised Sakaja to talk to the “real owners instead of brokers and cartels who have already placed themselves everywhere in Nairobi".
“It is the only way that the issue can be resolved, if there is a stalemate, go back to the table and talk and agree,” Kimutai said.
Matatu Owners Association CEO Patricia Mutheu and National Transport and Safety Authority director general Christopher Wanjau were present.
The High Court temporarily stopped the matatus relocation to the Green Park terminus.
On November 30, Justice Hedwig Ong’udi ruled that the status quo should remain.
North Rift Luxury Shuttle, Madaraka Prestige, Transline, Great Rift Shuttle, Legacy Luxury, Kina 2015 Classic, Sasaline Classic Shuttle, Blue line, Team Swat and Transliner Galaxy are among the parties that moved to court.
Through lawyer Wycliffe Omayio, they argued that the decision was discriminatory as it was arrived at when the festive season was at its peak for the matatu industry.
Sakaja's efforts followed numerous failed attempts by, among others, the now defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services to remove matatus from the city centre.
In NMS' plan, matatus from Thika Road were to terminate at Desai and Park Road termini, those from Jogoo Road at Muthurwa, while those plying Waiyaki Way were to stop in Ngara.
Matatus using Ngong and Lang’ata roads were to terminate at Green Park.
In 2021, NMS conducted at least three test runs to identify challenges and loopholes before opening the Green Park terminus to the public.
The first one carried out on April 27 was marred with confusion and frustrations.
The three-hour test run, which started at 6am, was to observe how matatus would drop off commuters at the terminus.
The second one was on May 28, from 3pm to 6pm, which was to observe the picking up of commuters.
After the second test, NMS said some adjustments to include the Covid-19 safety measures and the furniture at the terminus had to be done.
The third test run was done on June 17 and was a whole-day affair that ran from 5am to 9pm.
A month later, it was announced that the bus terminal would open for business after NMS called for lease applications.
Hawkers were also not to be spared.
However, the Nairobi government resolved not to kick out hawkers from the CBD.
Instead, Governor Sakaja said his administration will convert 32 backstreet lanes, which will be used by hawkers.
“I have held various meetings with a section of hawkers and their leaders. We agreed that my administration will create 32 lanes for them to conduct their businesses,” he said.
Authorities believe that PSVs and hawkers were responsible for the mess within the CBD.
In 2020 for instance, the National Transport and Safety Regulations document revealed that 272 matatu Saccos are registered to operate in the city.
However, there are 420 unregistered Saccos.
A previous record by the County Assembly Transport Committee indicated that 692 Saccos were listed.
In November 2020, Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) froze any new allocation of picking/dropping bays for matatus in Nairobi after concerns were raised over illegal allocations by unauthorized officers.
According to NTSA regulations, for a matatu Sacco to be registered, it requires a minimum of 30 PSVs. The 'new' Saccos were linked to the alleged issuance of fake letters used to allocate stages for them.
Past efforts
Efforts to decongest and bring order to the city are not new.
Former Town Clerk Philip Kisia made the first attempt in August 2009 under the former Nairobi City Council.
His efforts did not last for he bowed to pressure from public service operators two months later.
Kisia's plan was to keep matatus from Thika and parts of Central, Rift Valley, Kisii and Kilgoris out of the CBD.
Those from Thika were to end their journeys in Kariokor in a parking space meant for the market.
Evans Kidero, who took over as the first Governor of Nairobi in 2013 also attempted to decongest the city.
Kidero had said the order to ban commuter matatus from Nairobi's Central Business District was to be put in place by September that year. His plan too failed.
Kidero's administration proposed a raft of measures, some of which were criticised by residents after a short trial.
In 2014, he signed a memorandum of understanding with Foton and Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport for the supply of high capacity buses at a cost of Sh6.4 billion.
City Hall said the MoU was for the supply of the first 266 buses to launch the planned metro transportation system.
This was marred by corruption allegations, leading to the sacking of then Transport executive Evans Ondieki.
Attempts to remove roundabouts in sections of roads in the city also failed, forcing the county to shelve the project.
When Mike Sonko took over as the second governor in 2017, he promised to remove matatus from the CBD in the first 100 days in office. This did not happen after he changed his mind to allow for wider consultations.
The plan was to allow only two matatus from one Sacco to stop at any given termini at a time.
Matatus were also supposed to operate from holding points outside the city and only be allowed once the others have departed.
The national government also embarked on a plan to reintroduce a vibrant commuter train services within the city.
Bus Rapid Transit has also been introduced as part of the plan. This is yet to bear fruit.
BRT Lines
BRT Line 1 runs from Limuru-Kangemi-CBD-Imara Daima-Athi River and Kitengela.
Line 2 runs from Rongai-Bomas-Lang'ata Road-CBD-Ruiru-Thika and Kenol.
Line 3, called Chui, runs from Tala-Njiru-Dandora (Juja Road)-CBD-Showground (Ngong Road) to 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 ImaraDaima.