Drivers of digital taxis and boda boda riders could soon ply their trade in Nairobi peacefully after the city’s assembly recommended that a space be designated and gazetted for them in the CBD.
The recommendation is contained in a report tabled for debate in the assembly, asking Governor Johnson Sakaja's administration to expedite marking out the spaces, reduce the operators’ licensing fees and end their harassment.
The digital mobility operators had complained to the assembly through a petition that they are harassed by the county’s law enforcement arm and that they not allowed to pick and drop passengers in the CBD.
As a result, their customers leave unfavourable ratings because they are dropped in far off places from their destinations and this affects their earnings.
They also complained that they are being charged Sh7,000 for licensing and that whenever they are arrested for whatever violation by the enforcement officials, they are fined arbitrarily and that the monies they pay as penalties are never receipted.
They also claim that their vehicles and bikes are easily impounded by the county officials in the CBD and then get harassed before parting with huge sums to get them back.
City Hall has been implementing a policy that bars boda boda operators and taxi hailing workers from accessing CBD for picking and dropping passengers in a bid to ensure chaos-free town centre and avoiding congestion.
After a slew of public hearings, the transport committee has now recommended that the drivers and riders form a company or a collective Sacco that would make it easy to manage them in terms of enforcing safety and order accountability.
It has also recommended that the county executive members in charge of city mobility should identify and gazette such spaces that the workers can use as parking bays, for picking passengers and where they can drop and go within the CBD.
This is a win-win settlement for both the traders and the need to deal with congestion.
“The county executive member in charge of mobility and works designates, marks and gazettes appropriate spaces within the CBD for picking and dropping of passengers by the digital taxi.
“That to avert the risk of congestion and obstruction, the county executive member in charge of mobility and works to limit the time to be spent at the spaces, i.e pick or drop on the go,” the report recommends.
The CEC member, it says, should then liaise with the relevant security enforcement personnel in the city to enforce order in utilisation of the designated spaces but without harassing them and also to avoid encroachment by other users like matatu.
"The CEC [....] to formulate regulations for Nairobi city country transport act, 2020, to among others regulate the operation of digital taxi in the county."
On the need to have their fees revised downwards, the committee has suggested to the digital taxi workers to organise and present a memorandum to the house when the next county finance bill is being considered.
The county's transport chief officer told the committee that though there is limited space in the CBD, efforts can be applied to get some space for the digital taxi workers.
