Nairobi is synonymous with traffic. In fact, Much as Nairobi may not be the most inconvenient city to live in due to traffic snarl-ups, it is somewhere there in the top four cities with the problem.
The Kenyan government in its draft that proposes a reduction in the age limit for used cars is an idea whose time has come.
Nairobi is the capital, and that means most cars are sold from the city. This has encouraged every other person with a few hundred thousand shillings to buy a car. The result has been crowded roads and extreme delays.
The rates at which vehicles are bought, at the minimum, should match the capacity of roads. In Kenya, vehicles are bought more than what the city roads can handle efficiently
The draft, therefore, comes in to solve this problem in the long-term. While Kenya Auto Bazaars Association (KABA) has come out guns blazing to detest the move, it is worth noting that development should be sustainable. Prosperity should also be shared.
With roads overpopulated with cars beyond their capacity, no one gains a part from the car sellers.
The association chairman’s remarks that Trade and Industry CS was playing protectionism policies that only favour multinational corporations as opposed to promoting local industries that support many Kenyans, are unfounded.
Reduced to 3 years
The draft proposes that imported cars should not exceed a 3-year cap. Currently, Kenyans are allowed to import used cars up to 8 years old.
Impact on Traffic
While this move is seen to be injurious to the local car dealerships, it is a step in the right direction towards loosening up the city traffic for more sustainable development.