Nairobians!! Don’t Celebrate Yet: Here is Why You Might Be Walking to Work Come Next Week

After 24 hours of pain and anguish, Nairobi residents finally had a reason to smile this morning after Governor Mike Sonko temporarily lifted his CBD ban on Public Transport Vehicles.

While lifting the ban, Sonko said that he had noted with deep concern the plight of commuters if the ban was to be effected without the missing link of a commuter train & BRT system.

“After Monday’s pilot project of decongesting Nairobi’s CBD, I have suspended gazette notice 4479 of 12th May 2017 with immediate effect. We’ve noted with deep concern the plight of commuters if the ban was to be effected without the missing link of a commuter train & BRT system,” said Sonko

Matatu Saccos had yesterday filed a case in Court challenging Sonko’s Ban. The High Court has today suspended Sonko’s ban with Lady Justice Wilfida Okwany saying that the ban caused a great inconvenience to the public and dented the economy.

The judge further noted that that it is not clear how long the decision by the Governor to lift the ban will last and therefore it’s necessary to issue the orders.

The orders from the High Court are to stay in force until the December 11 when the matter will be mentioned.

Governor Sonko, who on Monday told MPs that “there is no turning back” on the ban, appeared to regret his decision to effect the gazette notice without putting in place logistics, alternatives and the requisite amenities.

“Although the directive is well intentioned, many innocent commuters, including senior citizens and those with health challenges requiring emergency medical attention, expectant mothers and children traveling with their parents, all suffered untold inconvenience, and this is regrettable,” he said.

The city county boss said he made the decision after meeting with the leaders of matatu associations, which opposed the ban from the word go.

But while backed down, he said he was still keen to confront what he termed as the “monster of  traffic jams” in Nairobi.

“The time to address this monster is now. We cannot procrastinate. We cannot lose any more time. We cannot pretend to be moving forward when every day, we are stuck in traffic jams for hours,” he said.

The ban had seen all matatus from Uhuru Highway, Waiyaki Way, Kiambu, Thika Road, Kipande Road and Limuru Road pick and drop passengers at Fig Tree in Ngara.

PSVs plying Mombasa Road and Lang’ata Road were dropping and picking passengers at Hakati terminus while those from Jogoo Road were terminating at Muthurwa.

All matatus plying Ngong Road were stopping at Railways.

Vehicles that go past Kenol on the Nyeri-Meru-Nairobi road and all upcountry PSVs accessing the city via Waiyaki Way were dropping and pick passengers from the Park Road terminus.

Will you support fresh attempts by Sonko to decongest the CBD?

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