The Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) plans to change how streets are named to avoid streets having similar names in different towns and cities.
On Tuesday, CA maintained that it wanted naming of roads and streets after people who are still alive to also be banned.
CA’s Assistant Director, Martin Ngesa, on Tuesday cited lack of a national framework to guide naming of streets and numbering of properties which he stated affected movement and business in counties.
“Streets such as Moi Avenue, Haile Selassie and Kenyatta Avenue among others can be found in both Mombasa and Nairobi," Ngesa noted.
[caption caption="Haile Selassie Avenue Nairobi"]
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"This should not be the case. Repetition of road names has been a common thing in the past, but this does not comply with recognised standards because when there is a property on such a road, search engines confuse users,” he added.
He also admitted that lack of a national framework for naming streets and numbering properties affected e-commerce uptake.
Ngesa further warned counties against naming streets after persons who are still alive, politicians or chiefs.
The Director also noted that confusion of having streets with similar names in different cities and towns could be solved if proposals for a universal National Addressing System (NAS) are adopted.
[caption caption="Moi Avenue street Mombasa"]
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Under the new proposals, names with similar pronunciations but different spelling shall be avoided. Additionally, street names chosen will promote community image drawn from local history, culture, traditions and landmarks.
