Governor Mike Sonko in Fresh Bid to Ban Matatus from Nairobi CBD

The Nairobi County Government is set to launch a fresh bid to ban public service vehicles (PSVs) from entering the central business district.

This is one of the means that Governor Mike Sonko's administration plans to use to ease the traffic nightmare within the Kenyan capital city. Last year, the county abandoned the plan after protests from matatu owners and operators.

"Vehicles come into the city centre at peak morning hours and stay there waiting for passengers. This creates traffic snarl up because they take up a lot of space and inconvenience private motorists,” Eng. Karanja Kamau said.

In 2017, Governor Sonko had announced that the more than 30,000 matatus would no longer be allowed to access the CBD, but would stop at 9 termini outside the city centre.

However, matatu operators and owners rejected the plan, arguing that it would inconvenience millions of commuters, who would be forced to trek for a distance to pick a bus.

“We have shelved the ban for a month but as a temporary measure to address the issue. There shall be strictly no double parking, no obstruction, no unnecessary U-turns, no noise pollution in CBD and no blocking of business premises as we look for permanent solutions of decongesting our city,” Sonko said after abandoning the plan.