Here's what to do to get Nairobi moving again

Traffic jam along University way, Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Whenever Nairobians, business travellers and tourists talk about this wonderful city, one thing is for sure: they complain about the traffic.

Nairobi residents and visitors alike spend hours and hours in traffic jams every day; be it in their cars or in packed matatus. Kenyan friends of mine tell me they are spending each day 3-5 hours in traffic. A stressful and frustrating situation for all! Some lose their nerves and forget their civility. The streets of Nairobi become a battleground in which the most reckless seek to beat the jam by breaking traffic rules in order to obtain little gains for themselves, making it worse for everyone else.

Cost of traffic

The situation is similarly frustrating for the many pedestrians who have to weave their way through the middle of this battleground, and who are the main victims of the countless road accidents. Time that could be spent productively is wasted in cars, matatus, buses or long hours walking. It's been estimated that the costs of traffic congestion in Nairobi amount to 2 per cent of Kenya's GDP.

This isn't only about Nairobi's epic traffic jams. At an event in Nairobi earlier this year I met a resident of a megacity that's well-known for its environmental challenges. Returning to Nairobi after some 10 years absence, he remarked: "I'm not coming from a city that's unfamiliar with air pollution.

But I notice a difference in Nairobi today. about 10-15 years ago, whenever it was safe, I opened the window of my car without concern to breathe fresh air. Today, I notice I don't do this anymore. The air is not the same."

Encouraging signs

His feeling is shared by many. Who hasn't yet suffered from the black dust clouds that many of the larger vehicles emit? And just think of the extra fuel costs and the greenhouse gases emitted, contributing to climate change, whose disastrous consequences - from droughts to floods - we feel globally including here in Kenya.

Not all is gloom and doom, luckily. There have been encouraging signs recently. A Nairobi Regeneration Committee has been created to bring together stakeholders, irrespective of their political affiliations, to tackle the manifold problems plaguing Nairobi.

As part of this initiative, President Kenyatta took a bold step earlier this year when he announced the launch of what has since been termed the "Presidential BRT" project. He charged all those responsible in his Government - Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Road Agencies - and the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority to make this grand project a reality.

The European Union very much welcomes this initiative. Developing an efficient public transport network is the main sustainable answer to tackle Nairobi's transport problems. However, as an ardent European and Italian, I would like to recall the ancient adage 'Rome wasn't built in a day'.

Not in one day

While this idiom shall not be abused as an excuse not to build anything for many days, it is of course applicable to all great transport and infrastructure works. Such a transformative project as BRT, too, cannot come overnight, or even within a few weeks or months.

But what is BRT exactly? A few months ago, the term "BRT" was only known to specialists. Now many Nairobians have heard about BRT and may rightfully be wondering about what this BRT is exactly. So, what is it? It stands for Bus Rapid Transit: a mass transport system which has been developed already in many cities all around the world. BRT gives priority to public transport operated by large buses circulating at short intervals.

To guarantee fast movement, physically separate bus lanes are allocated to BRT buses, which are served by dedicated stations. To ensure fast boarding, a ticket payment system is installed at the stations. In addition to construction of this infrastructure, an efficient BRT network needs an adequate organisational framework.

How it works elsewhere

Usually a licensed bus operator provides the service under the control of an urban transport authority such as NaMATA, which sets service standards and ensures that passengers get a top-class service at regulated fare levels. The urban transport authority is also responsible for planning the roll-out of the BRT lines.

A BRT system shouldn't negatively affect existing public transport operators: on the contrary, it should offer them new opportunities. Other African cities, including Johannesburg, Lagos and Dar-Es-Salaam, have already successfully developed BRT systems: since they work there, then why not in Nairobi?

Given all the steps required, the development of a fully-fledged BRT network takes several few years. That said, milestones can be set to pave the way for the roll-out of the complete network. So it should be possible to begin by running express services on the Thika Highway that will benefit thousands of people every day. "Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour."

As I've noted, the European Union is very supportive of the BRT initiative and can offer experience, sharing of technical advice, and help with financing. Already the European Union is funding technical assistance and studies to design the project. The EU has reserved about Sh5 billion as a grant for the construction of the Nairobi BRT project and the Government of Kenya has started discussions with European Financial Institutions (the European Investment Bank, the German development bank KfW, the French development agency AFD) about arranging additional loans. UN Habitat as well as UN Environment, hosted in Nairobi, are also very supportive because BRT is fully in line with worldwide policies they pursue.

So much more

Sustainable urban mobility is about much more than building BRT lines. Other forms of public mass transport are also needed, such as commuter rail and light rail. Traffic management needs to be improved. Well-maintained, clean and safe pavements, well-planned pedestrian crossings and overpasses, and cycle paths are needed to help improve transport safety. As a partner of Kenya, the EU is looking carefully at these aspects.

Nairobi and other big cities like Mombasa and Kisumu should be at the forefront of international sustainability and should benefit from the most efficient urban mobility solutions. This will create jobs, and make jobs accessible; it will benefit women and youth. Its impact on most of the "Big Four" development priorities is also important – think of the importance of getting rapid access to hospitals and housing developments, for example.

So here's what I say to Kenyans: let's do it, here and now, and let's do it right. Nairobi, the "green city in the sun", should never become the "grey city in the dirt, smog and traffic jam", as prophets of doom predict.

Nairobi should shine brightly as Kenya's capital, as a commercial and cultural hub in eastern Africa, as a model for big cities across the world.

Mr Dejak is the Ambassador of the European Union to Kenya