John Ngirachu and Casper Waithaka
2 November 2009
Nairobi — City Hall has maintained that it will continue with efforts to keep long-distance matatus out of Nairobi city centre, even as plans to do so failed to start on Monday.
Town clerk Philip Kisia told the Nation in a short message that the council would soon advertise the new rules and write letters to operators on routes that will be affected by the directive.
"We shall advertise and give notice," said Mr Kisia, who declined to specify when this would be done. He later said he was in a meeting when reached on the phone.
The council had announced the intention to move the public transport vehicle bus stops from Monday.
The move is bound to generate a lot of heat from the operators and matatu lobby groups, who say the council should consult them before it orders them to move.
Matatu Welfare Association chairman Dickson Mbugua said the operators would oppose any move that would negatively affect their businesses.
The council had bowed to pressure from matatu operators to suspend regulations announced in August and September.
Mr Kisia had earlier said the new rules followed consultations with the transport sector, which had complained that the new rules did not take into account issues of space for the new matatu termini.
Intense pressure
"Space will never be enough. Efficient utilisation of available space is what matters as land will not expand," he said.
It is, however, understood that the council has come under intense pressure from top government officials who had received complaints from matatu operators and lobby groups.
The council was forced to withdraw an earlier directive for matatus on the Thika, Kisii, Bomet, Narok, Kericho and Kilgoris routes. Those from Thika had been moved to Kariokor market and the rest to Westlands.
Operators complained that the space available at the two spots would be insufficient to act as holding bays for the matatus.
At the same time, the council plans to collect information on the number of matatus on each route, small-scale businesses and buildings under construction in a move to widen its revenue collection base.
Created jobs
The project is being done in conjunction with Cooperative Bank, which has pumped Sh500,000 for the two-week programme that has created jobs for more than 1,000 young people.
The youths will be expected to collect information on all businesses in various wards in the city.
"The initiative will help bring to an end resistance by residents to pay revenue and help lower the cases of corruption and embezzlement of revenue by City Hall employees," said the mayor, Mr Geoffrey Majiwa, adding: "The council has a capacity of collecting more than Sh20 billion annually."
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