The Nairobi City County Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Mobility Enforcement Unit (MEU).
The county, under the leadership of Governor Johnson Sakaja, aims to address traffic congestion, illegal parking, and enforcement gaps in the transport sector.
The MEU will operationalise key provisions of the Nairobi City County Transport Act, 2020, and streamline enforcement efforts across the Mobility and Works Sector.
“It will centralise the regulation of public road transport, motorcycle operations (boda bodas and tuk-tuks), traffic management, and parking,” a dispatch from the city cabinet read.
The unit’s primary objectives include eliminating illegal parking, reducing disruptive street activities, and improving traffic flow across the city’s busy streets.
The MEU will comprise four specialized units: the Public Transport Unit, the Traffic Marshal Unit, the Motorcycle Transport Unit, and the County Parking Unit.
The Public Transport Unit will be responsible for regulating matatus and other public service vehicles to ensure compliance with traffic laws, while the Traffic Marshal Unit (TMU) will be tasked with managing traffic flow and addressing congestion hotspots.
Further, the Motorcycle Transport Unit (MTU) will focus on ensuring the safe and compliant operations of boda bodas and tuk-tuks.
According to the cabinet dispatch, the County Parking Unit (CPU) will oversee parking and eliminate illegal practices.
The establishment of the MEU will utilize existing county resources, ensuring no additional financial burden on taxpayers.
The cabinet said that the centralized structure aims to enhance operational efficiency, boost urban mobility, and support Nairobi’s economic growth, environmental sustainability and livability.
To ensure the MEU achieves its mandate, the county government has approved the deployment of 360 enforcement officers.
These officers will bolster the unit’s capacity, enabling it to effectively address Nairobi’s longstanding transport challenges.
The cabinet further approved the leasing and renting of designated spaces and units within Uhuru and Central Parks.
The two parks are iconic green spaces central to Nairobi’s identity, serving as key recreational and environmental assets.
The move aims to generate revenue for sustainable income streams that will fund park maintenance and development.
It also aims to enhance public amenities to provide recreational facilities, eateries, and event spaces for public use.
This will further promote public-private partnerships and attract private-sector investment to improve park infrastructure.
It will also ensure environmental sustainability by adopting leasing frameworks that prioritize ecological conservation.
The move will safeguard public use while maximizing space utilisation.
There will be improved facilities and experiences for park visitors, economic growth through job creation and private-sector participation, and transparent management of public resources with clear accountability measures.
