Nairobi City County is set for a major facelift in road infrastructure in the 2019/2020 financial year.
This is after the Nairobi County Government, Ministry of Transport and the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) committed to fast-track completion of road projects in the county.
The projects are aimed at decongesting the capital city and ease movement within estates by rehabilitating access roads within estates.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko says his administration will disburse Sh1.5 billion to Kenya Urbans Roads Authority (KURA) by July, 2019 for phase two of the Nairobi Regeneration Programme aimed at construction and rehabilitation of roads across the County.
Phase one of the project mainly focused on the upgrade of roads in Nairobi’s Eastlands area and city center, where the road network was in a poor state.
The county contributed Sh900 million, while KURA paid a total of Sh1.9 billion to finance the first phase.
Speaking at a City Hotel on Wednesday during a stakeholders meeting, Sonko said his administration will continue to collaborate with government agencies to ensure uplift of roads network in capital city.
“We need to stop politicizing the construction and rehabilitation of roads in Nairobi. We have to partner with KURA and KeNHA to ensure all roads are done to our standards. My administration cannot do it alone,” said the Governor.
He said plans are in place to build a viaduct from Wakulima Market through Landi Mawe to Mombasa Road to ease traffic congestion in that area.
During the meeting attended by Ministry of Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and KeNHA Director General Eng Peter Mundinia, the stakeholders agreed to hasten the upgrade of Langata road to Magadi highway into a dual carriageway.
The section to be expanded includes the ever busy 27km Bomas-Kiserian-Corner Baridi Road.
The 14km Bomas-Karen-Dagoretti Market Road has also been earmarked for elevation.
“The proposed road expansions from Bomas to Ongata Rongai, to Kiserian and onto Kona Baridi, together with the other road from Bomas, Karen to Dagoreti Market are all very important for the sustainable development of Nairobi. The Nairobi City County Government recognizes that transport-oriented development is the only way we can build a resilient city, capable of the providing services to the ever-growing population,” added Sonko.
Macharia stated that the dual carriageway from the Bomas of Kenya to Kiserian will reduce traffic and make travel enjoyable.
“The proposed Bomas-Kiserian-Corner Baridi Road starts at Bomas of Kenya, runs in a South westerly direction through Ongata Rongai, passes through Kiserian and terminates at Corner Baridi area in Kajiado,” said Macharia.
In the meantime, Sonko and Macharia have promised that the national government and the Nairobi City County Government are collaborating to ensure the 28km express highway bridge connecting Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) with Kangemi market on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway is launched in a bid to tackle traffic congestion in the capital city.
The two have now appealed to those who have encroached on the road reserve along the proposed express highway to start demolishing their structures to pave way for the construction of the road.
“Nairobians are particularly eager for the start of construction of the road from JKIA to Kangemi area, whose funding has already been secured. This particular project is the single initiative that will have the biggest impact of reducing traffic jams in the city centre,” Sonko stated.
Sonko has also assured Nairobians that his administration is working round the clock to fix the hitches experienced in the new parking system introduced by City Hall.
Speaking while demonstrating how to pay the parking services through the new USSD short code *235#, Sonko urged city motorists not to pay parking fee in cash since the new system is working efficiently.
“We are not collecting parking fees in cash, so I’m urging motorists to continue paying the fees through the new system,” said Sonko.