Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja appears to have reversed his earlier instruction to ban matatus from the city’s Central Business District (CBD), putting the idea on hold at least for now.
The decision comes after strong pushback from both matatu operators and commuters, who are concerned about the impact of the proposed modifications.
Sakaja, who vowed in his gubernatorial manifesto to relieve congestion by shifting matatus away from the CBD, suddenly appears to be backing away from that promise.
“I’d want to emphasize that there are no intentions to decongest the city by eliminating matatus from the CBD”.
“The county government’s and governor’s dream and vision is not to remove any matatus from the CBD,” said Machel Waikenda, Nairobi County Government’s Chief Mobility Officer.
The plan has been halted following widespread criticism from matatu operators and passengers, who questioned the proposal’s feasibility and practicality.
Sakaja’s decision comes after rumors of a meeting of matatu SACCOs, police, and county officials when measures to ban matatus from the CBD were discussed.
One of Sakaja’s previous suggestions to alleviate congestion involves expanding the number of matatu SACCOs, however this has since been abandoned because to significant opposition from operators.
The governor had first advocated for the removal of matatus from the CBD, instructing SACCOs on the Western, Rift Valley, and Nyanza lines to pick up and drop off passengers at the Green Park bus stop.
Legal challenges came swiftly, with a court ruling blocking the directive’s execution.
This current development parallels previous efforts by Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Chairman General Mohammed Badi, who attempted to transfer matatus from the CBD as part of a traffic-reduction initiative.
Those efforts were similarly thwarted.
Matatu businesses have also urged Sakaja to prioritize the efficiency of ongoing road construction projects in the county.
They urged that the governor plan roadworks outside of peak hours to avoid increasing traffic congestion.
“During the previous government of Uhuru Kenyatta, NMS governed Nairobi.
“They used to do tarmacking and cleaning at night, so there was no traffic congestion,” one operator observed.
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