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"id": 196899,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/196899/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kenyatta",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Local Government",
"speaker": {
"id": 168,
"legal_name": "Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta",
"slug": "uhuru-kenyatta"
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"content": " Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. To answer hon. Shitanda, the idea was, indeed, to decongest the city and, ultimately, that means that the matatus will be using less fuel because of travelling shorter distances. However, I would just like to remind hon. Shitanda that the transport sector in this country is largely dominated by the private sector and, hence, my Ministry has really no authority to dictate the prices. That is why I March 25, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 365 actually referred to the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system that is part of the long-term transport solutions for this city where, indeed, the Government itself, would be involved at that stage. That is what happens in many developed cities. I do agree that there is need for the Government or the City Council of Nairobi to be involved in that provision so that it can control the prices that commuters pay. But, as we stand now, all we can do is try and dialogue with our colleagues in the matatu industry to, at least, reduce their fares in accordance to the reduced cost that they, themselves, are now benefitting from. Mr. Speaker, Sir, a question has also been asked as to what we will do once we start increasing the fees for private motorists to park in the city centre. Ultimately, there is a plan which is under way. The City Council has been instructed to identify various locations throughout the outskirts of Nairobi where, in conjunction with the private sector through the Public/Private Sector Partnership (PPP), we intend to develop parking bays in the outskirts of the city where private motorists will find adequate parking and, ultimately then, join the shuttle system or the BRT I was referring to earlier. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the issue of discipline within the matatu sector is under the docket of the Ministry of Transport, but we are trying to co-operate and work together to ensure that the rules that were popularly known as \"Michuki Rules\" are re-implemented and a sense of discipline and order is restored into that sector. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there was the issue of by-passes and that, again, is a docket of the Ministry of Roads and Public Works. But while we have been having those sessions with stakeholders and representatives of the other Ministries, it was made quite clear to us by the Ministry of Roads and Public Works - and I will leave it to them to elaborate on the issue - that there is an intention to develop urban road authorities that will take into account all the road systems within the City of Nairobi. Under that plan, the by-passes that they are building, the roads that are managed by the City Council, the roads that are managed through the District Roads Committees and so on, will all be amalgamated. I would prefer if the Ministry of Roads and Public Works, itself, would give a more elaborate plan as to how it intends to develop that particular system. There is a question that was asked about the tendering of the shuttle service. We had a stakeholders' meeting last Thursday, where there were representatives of the matatus and all the bus companies that operate in Nairobi, and we agreed that we need those shuttles in order to alleviate the problems that commuters are facing. It was agreed that we would, first and foremost, identify the routes. We did that and, ultimately, the Ministry is developing a tender, based on the requirements that were put forward at the stakeholders' meeting. We did agree that, given the fact that the crisis was on, there was need to have an immediate solution. So, we requested the stakeholders to identify one company that could be used in the short-term until a tender was completed. This was done to alleviate the suffering of the commuters. All stakeholders agreed by consensus among themselves that the \"Double M\" operator would be the one to be given the authority to operate that shuttle for a two-week period, pending a further review, and while criteria is being developed on an ideal bus system for the Central Business District (CBD), which would then be put out for bidding. We felt that it was important that we did something in the short-term to alleviate the problems that were faced by the commuters. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there was also the issue of private vehicles being used to carry a maximum of five, or a minimum of three. If Parliament was to pass a law that says that every vehicle that comes into the city will have to carry five passengers, I will have no problem implementing it. As of now, I do not think we have the capacity to instruct citizens who to carry or not carry in their own private vehicles. Lastly, is the issue of one-way streets. I can say plans are well under way. First and 366 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 25, 2008 foremost we will be making certain streets in Nairobi pedestrian only, starting with Lusaka Road and the one behind New Stanley Hotel. We intend to make them pedestrian only. Part of Mama Ngina Street has already been done. In order to make traffic flow much easier, there are also plans under way to make Moi Avenue and Tom Mboya Street one-way streets. In fact, the new shuttle service that is operating now is doing so on a two-way system, where one bus is going down along Tom Mboya Street while the return one goes along Moi Avenue. So, this is part and parcel of an efficient transport system in our city, aimed at decongesting the city. We are not penalising anybody, but trying to make Nairobi a City that will be beneficial to all pedestrians like it happens in developed countries. FORMATION OF COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE 2007 KCSE EXAMINATION RESULTS"
}