National Youth Service (NYS) buses deployed to serve Nairobi city routes at lower fares in 2018 are reported to have broken down.
Reports by Auditor-General Edward Ouko state that only one-third of the 27 buses are currently in operation with the rest grounded.
He highlighted that the subsidised transport plan labelled Okoa Abiria programme had 27 buses when it started operations in March 2018.
The NYS covered nine routes and deployed 27 of its 29 buses to ferry passengers at a cost of Ksh 20 irrespective of destination.
Reports by Daily Nation, however, wrote that Ouko stated no funds had been received for subsidised service, adding that the project also lacked a budget allocation for maintenance and operation costs of the buses.
“Under the circumstances, the sustainability of the Okoa Abiria Programme is highly uncertain,” read the report.
“As at the time of the audit, only nine out of 27 buses were still operational while 18 had broken down and were grounded,” Ouko stated in the report on the NYS Mechanical Transport Fund books of accounts for the year to June 2018.
In April 2018, Parliament approved a Ksh500 million allocation to the NYS to acquire more buses to beef up its fleet that started operations in Nairobi, in March.
NYS fleet began passenger service operations in Nairobi amid protests from matatu operators.
The MPs approved the Ksh500 million allocation with reservations on the hurried introduction of the NYS buses without a proper feasibility study.
Public Service and Youth Cabinet Secretary, Margaret Kobia, had earlier told the Senate Committee on Transport that the procurement of additional buses would enable the NYS to cover more areas in the city.
“The pilot scheme began with an affirmative price of a flat Ksh2 0 irrespective of distance within Nairobi. The charge is intended to initially recover the cost of fuelling without significant commercial gain and focusing on more vulnerable members of society,” Prof Kobia affirmed.
