The Nairobi Metropolitan (NMS) has identified the Globe Cinema roundabout for use as a bus terminus to aid in relocating matatus from the central business district (CBD).
NMS Director-General Mohamed Badi revealed the report and said that the process of acquiring the land is underway and in the evaluation stage with his administration working with the Ministry of Lands.
The targeted land has been acting as a holding zone for public service vehicles from the Mt Kenya and North Rift regions. Matatus plying Juja Road and the Thika superhighway will use the new terminus and will join six others already under construction — Green Park, Desai Road, Park Road, Fig Tree, Muthurwa, and Bunyala/Workshop roads.
Traffic snarl-ups
Last October, City Hall announced that public service vehicles (PSVs) using the Khoja/Old Mutual terminus were to be relocated to the Globe roundabout. The matatus were blamed for traffic snarl-ups, as were the vehicles accessing the city centre through the Globe flyover. Mr Badi affirmed that the property is community land, hence the need for compensation.
“The biggest issue was that the land was owned by different communities, so we had to negotiate with them together with the Ministry of Lands. The legal framework for the exchange has since been finalised and the NMS is finalising the evaluation with the Lands ministry, paving the way for construction of a modern bus park at the Globe later this month,” said Mr Badi.
Meanwhile the NMS has also announced that relocation of matatus from downtown Nairobi will commence in phases starting later this month. According to NMS Director of Transport and Public Works Michael Ochieng, relocation will begin immediately the Green Park, Desai Road and Park Road termini are completed.
The phased reopening, will see PSVs plying the Ngong and Langata road routes end their trips at Green Park, the first to be relocated. Next will be the relocation of matatus plying the Thika Superhighway and long-distance PSVs from Mt Kenya, which have been terminating at Tea Room on Accra Road. They will now drop and pick up passengers at Desai Road and Park Road termini in Ngara.
