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NAIROBI — Newly-elected Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has come up with drastic measures meant to ease traffic in Nairobi’s Central Business District but which will force passengers walk more to access the capital’s commercial hub. To fulfil one of his flagship pledges which is to reduce the menace that is traffic congestion in the Kenya’s capital, the county government is partnering with the traffic police and the National Transport and Safety Authority(NTSA) to set up new matatu termini.

“The operators are required to take note that the above changes take effect on September 20, 2017 and all previous gazette notices/letters allocating any other place as picking and dropping areas in the CBD are hereby revoked and become null and void . . . ” reads part of the gazette notice signed by Nairobi County secretary Leboo Ole Morintat.

The new arrangement means that commuters will now have to walk from Ngara to the CBD which is a 15-minute walk. Similarly, PSVs entering the city through Thika Road and Kiambu Road will now drop and pick passengers at the new Murang’a Road (Fig Tree) terminus B.

All those vehicles that go past Ruiru but branch off before or at Kenol town on Nyeri/Nairobi highway will use the Desai Service Road terminus as their drop off and pick-up point.

The Park Road terminus will be used by all vehicles coming from upcountry and which use Uhuru Highway and the Meru-Nairobi Road to get into the CBD.

The new plan which aims at freeing the congested streets in the CBD like Moi Avenue, Tom Mboya Street, Luthuli Avenue among others, have already been resisted by matatu owners who have vowed to go on strike this coming week.

Will Sonko manage to end a menace that defeated former governor Evans Kidero and all the City Hall clerks before him? Well, Nairobians will have to wait to see if he really meant his promises or he was just seeking votes like the Tom, Dick and Marys who have fooled Kenyans for eons. — Zipo.