Governor Johnson Sakaja has turned to partnerships in a bid to implement the Nairobi Mass Transit system, aimed at decongesting the city.
In a statement on Monday, October 31, the governor met Millennium Challenge Corporation and announced a partnership on mass transit project.
"I today met officials of the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a government bilateral agency of the US State Department. We discussed a USD 60 million grant to enhance mass transport and land use, two critical areas for Nairobi’s development. The city warmly welcomes this partnership and looks forward to greater cooperation in years to come," he said.
Announcing the deal with MCC, a government bilateral agency of the US State Department, Sakaja revealed that a Ksh7.3 billion grant was in the offing.
However, the former Senator did not reveal if the proposed grant would be part of the green bond he had proposed.
He had proposed building a mass transit system that will be used for mass transportation within the capital city, noting it will work similarly to that of Ethiopia which cost taxpayers Ksh 42 billion.
With county governments cash strapped, the Nairobi governor said that the system will not be funded directly by taxpayers but rather through a green bond.
A green bond is a fixed-income instrument designed to support specific climate-related or environmental projects.
"We need to offer residents of Nairobi solutions that clear the mess witnessed over the years. We intend to float a green bond, and what we raise will be used to create order and open up opportunities for our people and make Nairobi work for everyone," the governor said while explaining how to finance the project.
Sakaja will be looking to succeed where his predecessors had tried without much breakthrough. The previous administration under Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) had tried to roll out Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
The bus system was supposed to offer reliable, secure and comfortable system for city residents. It was commissioned but was later shelved due to operational logistics.
NMS' plan to decongest the city through the Greenpark terminal also failed.
If Sakaja’s project takes off, it will be the second successful project to decongest traffic in Nairobi. The Nairobi Expressway which was done under President Uhuru’s administration eased traffic in the capital city considerably.
