Nairobi is the only city where public vehicles park everywhere in the central business district, blocking store entrances and causing traffic jams.
The Green Park bus terminal was commissioned by President Uhuru under General Mohammed Badi in 2020 to decongest the central business district and remove matus.
Efforts to move Matus have always been thwarted and politicized. Politicians in central Kenya in particular claim that their own people are being victimized. Ironically, statistics show that most of Nairobi's voters are from the opposition party.
As a result, Nairobi has become the only city in Kenya where matatus drop passengers off in the city during rush hour and park in front of shops and office buildings.
The store owners have no time to breathe. Customers also find it a nightmare to access stores where security is compromised by touts who monitor every store and customer's operations.
Even loading and unloading goods is a nightmare, but these stores and offices are vital to county and national governments, providing scarce jobs for young people and increasing much-needed revenue in the form of taxes that drive the economy.
Since the collapse of the iconic Kenya Bus Company, Nairobi has been holding residents hostage, especially the occupiers of the State House who are only interested in political survival.
It is wrong to say that Green Park cannot accommodate all Nairobi Matus. Of course, space is limited in Nairobi, so there is no bus parking. Even the iconic Kenyan Bus Station could only accommodate a few buses, although there were other bus terminals outside the city center such as Kinoo and Eastleigh.
The bus stop is not downtown, and Matus, which does not pick up passengers, has no all-day parking in town. Nairobi County needs to introduce hourly parking to ease congestion in the CBD. Now is the time to move your matatus out of the CBD.
Msamari lives in Nairobi.
