There was a slight confusion in the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) following the move by the Nairobi Metropolitan Service to conduct a dry run at the Green Park Terminus on Tuesday, April 27, ahead of the implementation of the matatu ban.
All matatus operating at the Railways Bus Terminus were not be allowed into the CBD and would terminate and pick up passengers at the Green Park Terminus from 6:00am to 9:00am.
The passengers had to walk from the terminus to their various destinations. In addition, there was a traffic snarl up which stretched into Community area.
"I've had to walk from Green Park to 5th Avenue to get a mat to Ngong Road alighting from South B I was torn between walking to Kencom, Railways, or 5th Avenue," a Kenyan by the name Nancy Marende said.
"Something hit me when I saw a pregnant woman alight at Green Park Terminus. She was struggling to walk. Has NMS considered such cases before telling people to walk," another weighed in.
Some Nairobians, however, welcomed the move by NMS saying that it would help decongest the city.
NMS Transport Director Engineer Michael Ochieng indicated that the test run, which was part of the decongestion strategies of the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Master Plan (NIUPLAN), went well.
He noted that it was an important move that would allow NMS to have a clear picture of what would happen when the Nairobi matatu ban if effected.
"We are looking to check the safety features even for the disabled and the physically challenged and others who may not be able to make it to town. We have also organized with the Kenya Railways that will provide commuter buses to town," Ochieng stated.
On April 1, President Uhuru Kenyatta gave the terminus a clean bill of health. He was shown the translucent waiting bays and informed that a supermarket, as well as a health center, would be put up at the park.
