After the allegations that the county government was planning to hike parking fees in the Central Business District (CBD) by one hundred Kenya shillings, Nairobi county MCAs have now won the hearts of many Nairobi residents they rejected a proposal by the county government to raise parking fees to Ksh. 400.
Motorists in Nairobi county will from next month enjoy lower parking fees after the Governor Mike Sonko announced that the county government will reduce the fees to Ksh. 200 from the current Ksh. 3oo.
“After consultations with various stakeholders, including ward representatives, we have agreed to slash the parking fees in order not to overburden motorists,” said Governor Sonko.
Sonko said that the county’s treasury had already factored in the reduced fees in the 2018 Finance Bill that is currently with the assembly. However, it is not clear for how long this will last as the Governor alluded to the fact that the fees could change in future saying that his administration would review the fees after current projects are completed to reduce congestion in the city centre.
“I know that this (reducing the fees) will increase congestion in the city centre but again, we cannot punish Nairobi residents because the projects like BRT and construction of bus termini outside the CBD are still ongoing,” he said.
Nairobi motorists first felt the burden of heavy parking fees in 2013 when the then Governor Evans Kidero raised the fees from Ksh. 140 to Ksh. 300 per day. Parking fees are the county’s biggest revenue stream having raised Ksh. 1.88 billion from the beginning of the year to June.
City Hall has in the past struggled to raise revenue needed to upgrade roads and clear garbage in a county that salaries gobble more 60% of its total income.
The Finance Bill which was initially supposed to be passed by September 30 in line with the law has not yet been debated. The Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman, Robert Mbatia yesterday requested for a one-week extension to debate it.
“We are still within the law (PFM Act) which allows extensions. We will now table and debate the bill on December 4,” said Mr. Mbatia.
During the campaigns, Sonko promised Nairobi county residents that if he were elected Governor, he would slash the parking fees by half to Ksh. 150. Empty promises? Nairobi motorists are still waiting for the county boss to fulfil his promises and from the look of things, we might be waiting a long while.