Nairobi Metropolitan Services Director General Mohammed Badi has revealed plans to convert two properties in Nairobi into multi-storey underground parking centres.
The first underground parking site will be at the Sunken Park in the CBD, and the other at the famous Machakos Bus Station.
The sunken park is the open space just next to the Aga Khan walk, which already serves as a parking bay for more than 200 cars.
NMS has acknowledged that city motorists suffer an acute shortage of spaces to park their cars.
“We are in the process of developing underground parking at Sunken Park and eventually Machakos Bus Park will be turned into an underground parking area,” said Major General Badi.
NMS will be using the underground parking space at Holy Family Basilica as a benchmark for its own construction.
Holy Family Minor Basilica has a parking capacity of 516 slots, split into four levels all of which are underground.
“We have seen it is affordable, and we are now going to ensure that there’s enough underground parking for Nairobi residents,” said the Major General.
Once completed, drivers will pay hourly rates to access the parking spots which will be operated digitally.
“You will come, pay through mobile money, leave your car there and it will be parked for you on whichever floor of that building,” he added.
Multi-storey parking centres are an effective use of space such as Holy Family Basilica which could only manage 120 cars before.
NMS also plans to convert parking street parking bays into transport corridors to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.
