Chaos as City Hall enforces transport rules

By Cyrus Ombati

There was confusion at some matatu stops in Nairobi as the City Council began barring Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) from entering the city centre.

Council officials relocated PSVs operating on the Kisii-Nairobi route and those from western parts of the country in an exercise expected to take several days to implement.

The vehicles were stopped at the Westlands bus terminus where the crews were ordered to drop passengers who were later to pick up different ones to the city centre.

Those travelling from Thika Road were diverted to the Kariokor bus terminus, which proved to be too small to accommodate the thousands of vehicles. There was confusion as passengers new to the city protested being dropped at the spots and asked to take different vehicles to their destinations.

Those with luggage were most affected after being dropped at the termini with their property and the buses ordered to leave.

Pay more

Mr Benard Rwoti who had arrived from Keroka, Kisii said he was shocked to be dropped in Westlands because he had no idea where he would head to from the terminus.

"A relative is waiting to pick me up at the bus terminus near OTC but they have dropped us here saying it was the end of the journey," he lamented as a tout tried to drag him to board his vehicle. "I do not know which matatu will take me there."

Another passenger who identified herself as Chelangat said she was forced to pay more money to the city centre to carry along her luggage.

"This is punishing the poor because we are being pushed out of the city centre without a notice," she said.

Several other passengers could be seen confused and stranded at the new termini.

A few PSVs sneaked into the city centre several times with passengers, an indication the council was not ready for the exercise.

Council officials involved in the exercise said they expect to move to other planned routes after ensuring the Westlands and Kariokor stops are successful.

The City Council announced last week some PSVs would be relocated to Westlands, Kariokor, Central Park and Railway Bus termini in a move aimed at decongesting the city.

Ban private cars

Council officials moved into action diverting the matatus on the way to the new termini.

PSV operators protested the move arguing it was discriminatory and aimed at hurting small operators and enriching few.

Matatu Owners Association (MOA) Chairman Simon Kimutai termed the move noble but blamed the manner in which it was executed. He said the council has not offered an alternative means of transport from and to the new termini to effect the changes.

"This is wrong because we don’t have an alternative way of moving people to and from the new termini," said Mr Kimutai.

He said the action is going to affect many businesses and create confusion on users of the routes let alone increase incidents of crime.

Kimutai argued the sites where the PSVs were relocated were too small to accommodate the vehicles.

He asked the authorities to consider banning private cars from the city centre but encourage PSVs to do so because they carry more people per vehicle.