Kenya’s government has procured 64 high-capacity buses from South Africa, disappointing local manufacturers who had hoped to win tenders to provide the buses aimed at tackling Nairobi’s chronic traffic problem.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said his ministry had opted to purchase the buses from South Africa after it was deemed that the locally made buses did not meet the standards laid out for the buses. He however said future purchases would be made locally.
“We are only acquiring the first batch from South Africa because the buses that were available did not conform to the KS-372- body building standards, but the rest will be sourced locally,” local Daily nation quotes Macharia.
The acquisition of the buses from South Africa is expected to cost the government around $ 15.7 million.
“We are in the process of acquiring the first batch of 64 BRT buses from South Africa. We are yet to establish the total amount of money we will spend on these buses but a BRT bus usually goes for Sh25 million (around $250,000),” Macharia said.
The buses are expected to arrive in Kenya later this month.
The buses will use express lanes on major roads across the capital, reducing travel time and cost by up to 70 per cent, according to Macharia.
