Nairobi governor Mike Sonko stirred up uproar when he announced plans to block matatus from accessing Nairobi CBD with the aim to reduce traffic in the city.
Sonko together with the traffic police and the National Transport and Safety Authority(NTSA) have set up new matatu termini outside the CBD where passengers are to be dropped and picked.
Kenyans on Twitter expressed their frustrations with the new directive which is supposed to take effect starting Wednesday September 20, 2017.
Sonko was however fast to diffuse the tension, he explained that the directive was only a pilot project to assess whether the intended objective could be achieved.
Below is Sonko’s explanation:
Let’s stop politicizing mambo ya kudecongest city yetu. Here’s what the media didn’t air the day the gazette notice was circulated. This just a pilot project and all school going children and people going to work will be dropped in the CBD without affecting the flow of traffic.
As a temporary measure to address the issue, there shall be strictly no double parking, no obstruction, no unnecessary U-turns, no noise pollution in CBD, no blocking of business premises as we look for permanent solutions of decongesting our city which shall include speedy construction of storeyed and underground parkings, expansion of our roads to include special lanes za buses kubwa za county with a carrying capacity of 150 abirias which zitakuwa zinapick na kudrop watu to and from kwa bus termini at no extra cost.
Introduction of new circular routes from Eastlands, Southlands, Westlands, Thika road to important areas like KNH, Karen, SGR station in syokimau and Mlolongo without entering the CBD, construction of underpasses, metro trains za kileo e.g. kuna train itatoka airport to the old railway station, Long distance buses from coast zitapark Mombasa road, from western and other upcountry areas zitapark waiyaki way, park road na Ngara. We shall work closely with the affected saccos staff, NTSA, traffic police, business community and residents associations, Tutalight streets CBD na bus termini zote na tutafanya patrols on 24hr basis.
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