Traffic jams in Nairobi could soon be a thing of the past if an announcement by  Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen that plans to revive and speed up the completion of the stalled Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project come to pass.

During a meeting with Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Murkomen said the government had committed enough money through the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (Namata) to ensure the project is completed.

“Efficient, affordable and reliable mobility is key to unlocking the potential of our people. Together with the  County government, we are keen on ensuring that traffic jams are a thing of the past,” said Murkomen.

Sakaja said that the BRT project was meant to offer a reliable, secure and comfortable system for city residents. It had sought to revamp Nairobi’s chaotic public transport infrastructure to reduce congestion, but it remains a pipe dream given the snail-pace progress of the project.

In March, President William Ruto revived plans to set up the BRT lines after committing Sh50 billion for the project.

Five corridors

Traffic snarl-ups in the Nairobi metropolis are estimated to cost the country Sh2 billion annually.

Namata was established by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration on February 9, 2017. It covers Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Murang’a counties.

BRT project was allocated Sh1.2 billion in the 2022/23 budget by the National Treasury.

Already, five corridors have been identified by authorities to decongest Nairobi roads.

Line one is to run from James Gichuru Road-Waiyaki Way to JKIA, a distance of 20km.

The 31km line two will run from Lang’ata Road to Ngong Road, Juja Road, and Komarock Road to Ruiru with major stops at Dandora, Kariobangi and Gikomba Market.

Line three will run from Githurai through Thika Road to Moi Avenue in the CBD, terminating at Kenyatta National Hospital.

The project will be carried out in two phases under one contract.

The first section will be between Clayworks and the Nairobi CBD, while the second phase will start from Clayworks to Ruiru.

A Chinese firm, Stecol Corporation, secured the Sh5.6 billion contract to construct special lanes for high-capacity buses.

The buses are to operate between Thika Superhighway, Nairobi city centre and Kenyatta National Hospital.

The main depot for line three is at Kasarani while other minor depots will be at the Kenyatta National Hospital and Ruiru.

At Kasarani, the maintenance block that can accommodate 10 BRT buses at the same time and is expected to be completed soon, is underway.

Platforms for picking up and dropping off passengers are also at an advanced stage of construction.

There are two access points to the Kasarani depot. The buses which are 12 metres and 18 metres long described by engineers as kneeling buses are set to be used in BRT  to ensure that they accommodate all passengers.

The implementation line three which runs from Githurai through Thika Road to Moi Avenue in the CBD, terminating at Kenyatta National Hospital has, however, been slowed down by the lack of resources as the National Treasury is yet to release money.

Sh200 million is yet to be paid to the contractor.