On Monday morning, thousands of commuters in Nairobi, Kenya woke up to the reality of the ban on Public Service vehicles in accessing the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD).
As early as 5 am, police and county traffic marshals blocked matatus from entering the city center, a move that left thousands of people stranded at the matatu termini on the periphery of the city with no other option than to walk or hail a taxi all the way into the city.
Under the ban, no public service vehicle (PSV) will be allowed into the CBD to pick up or drop off passengers. City leaders say they are beginning enforcement of a gazette notice from May 12, that designated specific termini and routes for PSVs operating through city center.
The ban is part of plans by the county government to address congestion in Nairobi’s CBD. More than 300 police officers have been assigned to ensure the ban is effective. This will be in addition to a similar number of county traffic marshals.
The latest push by City Hall comes despite past failed attempts at effecting the ban, with transport operators saying the new points outside the city center lacked enough space for their vehicles and basic amenities like toilets and lighting.
In April, matatu operators threatened to ground operations if City Hall banned them from the CBD.
In September last year, Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi alias Sonko was forced to suspend a similar order following backlash from industry stakeholders.
Nairobi remains one of the cities worst hit by traffic congestion in the world according to 2017 Traffic Index.
The report by Serbia-based website numbeo.com. says that on average Nairobians spend 62.44 minutes in traffic, making it the worst hit in Africa. It followed by Cairo at 51.56 minutes and the South African cities of Pretoria (49.00) and Johannesburg (45.15).
Meanwhile, Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) have expressed their reactions on the move
