Jubilee’s Nairobi gubernatorial candidate, Polycarp Igathe, released his manifesto after the debate with his main rival, Senator Johnson Arthur Sakaja of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) that was held on Monday, July 11.
In his plan to grow Nairobi’s economy, Igathe highlighted mobility and transport as a key sector. Curbing Nairobi traffic is among his top priorities, an area his predecessors, Mike Sonko and Evans Kidero, failed.
Igathe pledged to designate pick up and drop off zones for PSVs throughout the county just as the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) under its Director General, Mohamed Badi, highlighted.
Badi engineered the construction of termini across the county including the Green Park Bus terminus near Old Railway, Fig Tree in Ngara, Bunyala and Workshop Road and Muthurwa and a proposed Globe Cinema Roundabout terminus.
Sonko and Kidero’s efforts to evict matatus from the CBD failed, with PSV owners orchestrating strikes that paralysed transport in the city.
Second, on Igathe’s manifesto under transport, is facilitating and fast-tracking the Metropolitan Commuter Rail Ring.
This entails connecting all the transit lines (cycling, bus, and commuter rail) in the city. The NMS, through the last mile connectivity, launched a similar project to decongest the CBD.
NMS constructed termini outside the city, with commuters walking, cycling or riding to the city on board buses provided by the service.
It is also working with the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NaMATA) to expedite the Bus Rapid Transport system (BRT). BRT buses will ferry passengers from railway stations to the city and vice versa and also along the select road corridors.
Kenya Railways further introduced commuter bus services for Kenyans using their commuter trains within the Nairobi Metropolis.
Just like NMS, Igathe plans to build pavements and create proper walkways across the county, ensure buildings and PSV are PWD compliant (Persons Living With Disabilities), refresh the building standards of public infrastructure and support the completion of the Nairobi Railway City Project.
The project will have eight lines and an additional four lines for freight services once it is completed in two years.
It will be constructed at a cost of Ksh27.9 billion and designed by UK firm, Atkins Global.
While debating Sakaja, Igathe noted that NMS was a legal entity that had worked to cover the shortcomings of the former governor, Mike Sonko’s administration.
“I will terminate NMS’s contract because I have a better strategy that will take full control of City Hall’s operations,” Igathe stated.
However, Sakaja argued that NMS was created after Igathe quit as deputy governor after he fell out with Sonko.
Sakaja will unveil his manifesto nearly a fortnight before the August 9 polls.
