Relocating matatus from Nairobi CBD a double-edged sword

From the look of things the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) is hell-bent on relocating the essential commuter public service vehicles from the central business district (CBD).

The NMS says the move is part of its plan to decongest traffic in the capital city.

But this plan is lopsided and not backed by any facts about transport in Nairobi.

Currently we have over 700,000 motor vehicles driven on the city’s roads daily.

Out of these only 18,000 are public service vehicles (PSVs) enabling various Kenyans access their economic activities places.

PSVs are the mass movers of 80 percent of Kenyans going to their working places daily.

In Nairobi, matatus ferry a majority of the about four and a half million residents from their estates to their routine engagements in comparison to one million people who use private means.

It is ironical that the NMS plans to inconvenience the majority of residents to ensure the comfort of one million private car owners.

NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

Relocating the PSVs from the CBD portends complex negative consequences that will hurt not only PSV owners and crew, but also affect commuters, other businesses and government revenues.

Thousands of businesses operating along the streets where the PSVs currently drop and pick passengers will eventually close down for luck of customers — a majority of whom are commuters.

The Kenya Revenue Authority’s tax collection targets will continue to be missed.

RENDERED JOBLESS

Many youth currently employed in these businesses will also be rendered jobless. Young enterpreneurs whom the mational government gave a life line through the stimulus package will again see their businesses go under.

A majority of PSV operators, struggling with bank loans, will also fold their businesses.

The NMS’s unfortunate decision also comes against the backdrop of the unemployment situation worsened by the 1.7 million jobs due to Covid-19.

This will create insecurity, with some young people rendered jobless by the clampdown on PSVs likely to turn to crime.

When the NMS was gazetted through an executive order and assigned transport services in the city as one of the four transferred function, we thought its first priority would be to liase with the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NaMATA) to tackle the decongestion challenge that the agency is alreading addressing through the BRT system strategic policy development.

The Federation of Public Transport Sector(FPTS) board, on invitation by the government through Namata, constituted a taskforce that has been working on the implementation of a BRT system.

MRT SYSTEM

With support of all PSV operators, this will actualise a seamless, effective, efficient and reliable integrated mass rapid transit (MRT) system in the long run. This will be a win-win situation to all parties.

NAMATA and the NMS should harmonise their plans and embrace team work in developing a modern public transport system instead of pulling in different directions.

They are serving the same government after all.

It is unfortunate that NMS is out to push PSV operators and other entrepreneurs out of business instead of assisting the matatus based at the Railways Station terminus and across to upscale their rolling stock to BRT standards.

Mbugua is Matatu Welfare Association (MWA) chairman and the Federation of Public Transport Sector (FPTS) secretary