The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has announced that the new termini that will be used at the end of the year when the ban on matatus from the central business district takes effect. NMS Director-General Mohammed Badi revealed the report and said that the new operations will restore order in the city.
NMS has been working with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to decongest the CBD by building several bus stations on the outskirts. Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) acquired the land for and is working with the NMS to set up the bus stops. The agency had targeted the land where Neno Evangelism Centre sits but a court ruling forced it to look at another location.
Terminating locations
With the new termini, PSVs plying Ngong and Lang’ata roads (Kawangware, Kikuyu, Kibera, Lang’ata, Rongai, Kiserian) will terminate at Green Park, popularly known as Railways Club, whose termini is almost complete.
The Fig Tree terminus at Ngara will serve matatus from Waiyaki Way, Uhuru Highway, Kipande and Limuru roads. PSVs from Mombasa Road (South B, South C, Industrial Area, Imara Daima, Athi River, Kitengela, Machakos) will terminate at another new termini at the junction of Bunyala and Workshop Road, which is still under construction.
The Muthurwa terminus is expected to remain as it serves PSVs from Jogoo and Lusaka roads. Mr Badi said long distance PSVs from Mt Kenya and those from the Thika Superhighway will stop at the new Desai and Park Road termini, where they will also pick and drop passengers.
In addition, the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NaMATA) has gazetted 12 mobility corridors, seven of them for core mass rapid transportation linking Limuru, Ngong Town, Kenol, Murang’a, Kiambu, Ruai, JKIA and Konza Technocity.
President Uhuru Kenyatta established NaMATA in February 2017 to cover Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Murang’a counties. Line 1 is to run from James Gichuru Road/Waiyaki Way to JKIA, a distance of 20kms.
Line 2, which is 31kms long, will run from Lang’ata Road to Ngong Road as well as Juja Road and Komarock Road to Ruiru. It will have major stops at Dandora, Kariobangi and near Gikomba Market. Line 3 will run from Githurai through Thika Road to Moi Avenue in the CBD and terminate at Kenyatta National Hospital. Line 4 will cover 14km from T-Mall to Jogoo Road while Line 5 will cover Outering Road.