Authority to help ease traffic congestion in Nairobi on the way

NAIROBI, KENYA: Plans by the Government to ease traffic congestion in Nairobi and its environs through establishment of a bus rapid transit system (BRTS) is gathering steam.

This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) among five counties—Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Murang'a and Kajiado— which provides for the creation of a National Metropolitan Transport Authority (NMTA). The authority will co-ordinate and regulate public transport independently from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

It will also recommend policies on pricing and investments, financing equipment and related traffic management systems.

Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau said an interim authority would be created pending enabling legislation for the formation of NMTA. Eng Kamau said the authority would be managed by representatives appointed by Governors.

"The signing of this MoU is very very important because it allows the creation of the National Metropolitan Transport Authority. We want the study to be owned by the authority independent of the ministry," Kamau told reporters in Nairobi Tuesday.

"The cost of this project is huge. We already have the money for some of the sectors but development partners are happy and willing to support it," he added. The proposed bus rapid transit system (BRTS) is part of the National Urban Transport Improvement Project (NUTRIP), which was approved by the World Bank in 2012.

Rail system

NUTRIP seeks to expand the capacity of Uhuru highway, which divides Nairobi's central business district, and to initiate rapid bus transit and commuter rail system.

According to the World Bank, developing public transport systems that move large numbers of commuters would relieve the worsening traffic congestion, and improve the local business climate. The project would be implemented by agencies working for the Ministries of Roads and Transport, including Kenya National Highways Authority, the Kenya Urban Roads Authority and the Kenya Railways Corporation.

World Bank and other development partners such as African Development Bank, European Union, Japan, and China, are helping Kenya to modernise its transport system and to remove barriers to a more dynamic business climate in the country and the wider East African region.

In 2012, the World Bank approved $300 million (Sh26.4b) to upgrade city roads to reduce travel time and costs. This is in addition to counterpart funding from the Government.