Matatu Owners Association Chairman Simon Kimutai on Wednesday, April 12, warned Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja of dire consequences if he followed through with his plan of eliminating traffic in the Central Business District (CBD) without consulting all transport stakeholders.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, he posed a question wondering whether the county government would provide a holding ground for all saccos picking and dropping passengers.
He noted that such a move, without careful planning, would be met with resistance from other parties involved.
The proposal involved matatu saccos adopting walkie-talkies to ensure the smooth movement of cars by allowing two vehicles at a stage in the stipulated time.
"Will they provide a holding ground because saccos are too many?" They should reciprocate by ensuring that there is the holding ground for all matatus to ensure that the matatus waiting to access CBD don't waste fuel," he noted.
His words were echoed by Branden Marshall, an official of the Association of Matatu Operators (AMO), who advocated for Green Park terminus to be used as a holding point for saccos waiting to access the CBD.
"Most of these matatus don't spend 20 minutes, they drop off and pick up passengers while they head to their destination. One thing to note is that all saccos pay for the monthly parking rates depending on the vehicle's capacity. For instance, a Nissan pays Ksh3,650 while a bus pays Ksh7,000," Marshall pointed out.
He also noted that aside from Public Service Vehicles (PSVs), private vehicles, hawkers, motorcycles and passengers walking along the roads also cause traffic along the CBD.
"I would urge Sakaja to make people embrace the matatu industry. If private motorists can have confidence in the matatu industry, they can opt to leave their cars during the weekdays and only use them on weekends. This will only be realised if we uphold professionalism in the matatu industry," he added.
On the other hand, Super Metro CEO Nelson Nduki noted that he supported Sakaja's proposal to eliminate traffic and restore order in the CBD.
"We've been working on how we can bring order and sanity and how it can benefit all of us. We will stand and support the Nairobi city county.
"Our take is that they involve the stakeholders. We will be in support of any measures taken as long as no one is being forced out of their designated stage," he told Kenyans.co.ke
A past briefing by County Chief Officer, Boniface Nyamu unveiled the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) thematic plan that would reduce vehicular movement time from 45 minutes to 15 minutes along Tom Mboya and Moi Avenue.
To enhance this, the county would crack down on motorists setting up illegal bus stages and also pursue those double parking in the CBD.
