Nairobi motorists were all elated when the county government earlier this month announced the move to reduce the parking fee by Ksh. 200 from the previous Ksh. 300. However, the excitement could be shortlived as the county government has now stepped up a campaign to reclaim grabbed public parking bays within the CBD.
Reports say that the county has already repossessed three parking bays with over 200 public parking slots over the last one month.
In a statement issued on today, Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko put on notice land grabbers in the capital warning that buildings on grabbed public land will be demolished.
“We have no room for land grabbers in Nairobi and my administration will not relent on its quest to reclaim all grabbed public land in Nairobi as promised during the elections,” warned Sonko.
County Director of Parking Tom Tinega said the aim of the campaign is to increase the number of parking slots in the CBD in order to save Nairobi residents from the deficiency of parking.
“We have started the campaign in the CBD where a number of public parking bays have been grabbed by individuals who have redesigned the parking slots for their own personal benefit and we are targeting other 50 areas,” said Tinega.
Tinega further said that the campaign will intensify in the near future and will later move out of the CBD and repossess all the grabbed public parking bays in Nairobi.
Among the parking bays that have been repossessed by the Nairobi City County Government, according to the statement, is one between Nyayo House and Intercontinental hotel which had allegedly been converted into a private property.
The parking bay along Haile Selassie Avenue next to Shell Petrol station where the alleged grabber had installed parking payment machines has also been repossessed.
“We want to warn the grabbers that we won’t entertain impunity. Governor Sonko issued a declaration that his administration will not condone land grabbers and that’s why we are on with this campaign to ensure we increase the parking slots in Nairobi by reclaiming the grabbed areas,” added Tinega.
In August this year, Sonko repossessed a public land in Gigiri area next to the UN headquarters where a private showroom had been built on the land. The land was later converted into a fire station to serve residents of Westlands area.
The Sonko administration seeks to avail more public parking slots in the CBD before the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transport system which is aimed at decongesting the CBD in order to end cases of perennial traffic jams in Nairobi.
Do you think the county government is reclaiming the public land because the Ksh. 200 is not sustainable?