Kenya’s Nairobi County has set aside US$ 60.5m that will be used for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of roads in Nairobi and this will lead to the ease of traffic that is majorly experienced in the city.
Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero confirmed the reports and said that this initiative will eventually lead to effective service delivery to the citizens in the region. He confirmed the news while breaking ground for the construction of a 13km Muthioya road in Kabiru ward in Dagoretti.
“The road construction which is located 15km from the Central Business District is set for completion in October 2016 and will be part of the public transport route commencing at Route 56 Bus Terminus and ending at Route 46 Bus Terminus,” he pointed out.
The deputy of Nairobi County Mr. Jonathan Mueke was also pleased with the initiative and he confirmed this during the launch of the rehabilitation of the 288m Kapiti Road.
“Better transport, housing and infrastructure remain a key area among the Seven Grand Promises we promised Nairobi in 2013. This is not only because it is a major component for the success of a competitive modern economy, but also because well-designed infrastructure investment raises economic growth, productivity and property values, while providing significant positive spillovers,” he stated.
“To actualize these, we launched the Smart Roads Concept covering over thirty estates in Nairobi to address the many years of neglect of Estate Roads with ongoing works in areas like South C, Nairobi West, Lang’ata, Mathare, Kileleshwa, Donholm, Githurai and Buruburu among .others,” he concluded.
The Nairobi City County Government has a mandate of providing a variety of services to residents within its area of jurisdiction. These include the services that were hitherto provided by the defunct City Council and the ones that have been transferred from the national government.
The former include Physical Planning, Public Health, Social Services and Housing, Primary Education Infrastructure, Inspectorate Services, Public Works, Environment Management while the latter include Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries, Trade, Industrialization, Corporate Development, Tourism and Wildlife and Public Service Management.
They recently launched a new Transport Plan which will help provide a modern, integrated transport system that outlines schemes for upgraded city roads, effective traffic management, a commuter rail network, public bus transit system and a properly regulated matatu sector.