A bus terminus constructed in all its resplendence but matatu drivers want nothing to do with it.
That is the picture, which is emerges at Asian Quarters, Nyeri county. Located 1.5 kilometres away from the town centre, the Sh600 million Field Marshal Muthoni Kirima bus terminus is occupied by precious few traders with zero public vehicles.
Small-scale traders were moved from Nyeri's Kamukunji grounds to the new bus terminus seven months ago with a promise to relocate the current matatu terminus as soon as possible to accord them more clients.
But this has not happened, seven months down the line. Even after its completion in 2021, the ultramodern facility is yet to be occupied due to resistance by transport sector stakeholders.
Peter Theuri a driver of 4NTE Sacco said some matatu saccos would incur losses citing vehicle owners who operate in Skuta-Ruringu-Meeting point who would lose business since residents from the area do not see the need to board a matatu as the new bus terminus neighbours their estate.
"You cannot convince a passenger coming from town heading home to Outspan to board a matatu, they will opt to go on foot after calculating the distance from town to the bus terminus which is far than the walk from town to their homes," said Theuri.
Inside the new Asian Quarters matatu terminus in Nyeri town on March 27, 2024.
Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media Group
He added, "We will not relocate to the new bus terminus. We cannot afford to incur losses. "
Daniel Ndung'u a matatu driver said the move will affect small business enterprises located within the current bus park.
"You can not move the bus terminus from the heart of this town and take it far from civilisation and expect people to just agree yet there was no public participation,"said Theuri.
Joseph Gitonga blamed the county government for constructing the Sh600 million bus terminus without public participation.
"If the county government had engaged us before building the bus terminus, I am sure we could have come to an agreement and made a step further when it comes to the town's development and growth," said Mr Gitonga.
The 4NTE Sacco manager added that the commotion and snarl up that occurs in the town was brought about by the bus park entrance which is larger than the exit .
"The county government should consider swapping the entrance and exit points and see if the snarl up will clear," said the manager.
He added, "we cannot relocate because of snarl up. This is something that can be controlled by traffic department within Kenya police."
The project was expected to ease traffic in the CBD that is currently bursting at the seams with both human and vehicular traffic.
Planning County Executive Committee Member Ndirangu Gachunia told the Nation that relocation of all long distance transport operations from the CBD to the new bus park has been facing a myriad of challenges.
“We have been having a back and forth on the issue because there are some conditions that we have to meet,” said Mr Gachunia.
He said a multi-sectoral committee coordinating the relocation of traders and transport players from the Nyeri CBD is conducting balloting and allocation of individual stalls and that the process will take two weeks. The county is also required to set up a mechanic workshop. “We agreed to first allocate all the stalls to individuals so that by the time matatus are moving, there will be enough crowd. We are also setting up a mechanic workshop at the field near the bus terminus and relocating all the lorries, “said Gachunia.
He added, “Those are the conditions that we must meet for matutus to relocate from CBD to the new Field Marshal Muthoni Kirima bus terminus.”
On 8 September, 2023, the Department for Physical Planning and Urban Development announced a two-week timeline for relocation of all major transport operations from the CBD to the new bus park that was opened by President William Ruto on August 7.
It was financed through the World Bank-funded Kenya Urban Support Programme to the county governments in order to spur economic development via improved physical infrastructure development. The facility can accommodate 240 matatu, bus, taxi and tuk-tuk bays, 98 booking offices, 40 parking bays, 51 lorry bays, and 94 passenger waiting bays. The daily traffic in and out of the terminus is estimated at over 20,000 passengers.
According to the Nyeri County Integrated Development Plan 2023-2027, the terminus will employ approximately 7,000 people on a daily basis.
Mr Gachunia said despite the snag, the county government was keen on following the laid down legal procedure during the exercise.
The few traders at the new Asian Quarters matatu terminus in Nyeri town on Wednesday, March 27.
Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media Group
Traders who were moved from Nyeri's Kamukunji grounds to Field Marshal Muthoni Kirima bus terminus are unhappy, seven months after relocating to the new site. Samuel Kamami, chairman of the Asian Quarters Muthoni Kirima Traders Association, says they are counting losses as very few people are willing to walk to this market due to its long distance from the CBD.
“We were promised that our businesses would receive a boost once the main matatu terminus is relocated to this place as there would be more traffic as compared to Kamukunji grounds. This was supposed to have been done within two weeks, but seven months down the line nothing has happened,” Kamami said.
The trader also faulted the county government for allocating two days only (Saturday and Wednesday) as market days, terming it inadequate to undertake any meaningful business.
He also claimed that many traders who had paid for stalls were yet to open shops owing to bureaucratic procedures, something he said had impacted the relocation negatively.
“We normally operate on Wednesday and Saturday and thereafter close for five days of the week, which translates to lost business. This should not be the case if we are going to boost the income of small businesses in this county,"Kamami said.
"Moreover, some of our members have already paid for their market stalls but cannot open them since the county government is yet to issue them with trading licenses. This means their stalls will remain closed for business even though they have paid for them.”
She had hoped to cash in on traders and passengers once the facility became operational but she now feels let down after the county authorities failed to move matatus there.
Lack of clients has taken a toll on her business and those of her colleagues who feel short-changed by the same government that promised to enhance their ventures.
The trader also called upon the authorities to erect permanent roofs over their stalls and build cabro walkways to shield both traders and customers against the vagaries of extreme weather.
“We don’t have water, it was disconnected. The toilet was also locked. At first the county had given us all the facilities but now we have none, “she lamented.
“When the President came here last year, he promised some funds to the county to help finalise construction of modern walkways and put overhead sheds to shield traders from rain and the scorching sun. Unfortunately, the county government is yet to implement this directive leaving buyers and sellers at the mercy of the weather,” she said.
On August 7 last year, President Ruto directed the Lands ministry to set aside Sh150 million for upgrading of the Nyeri PSV terminus.
While commissioning the terminus the Head of State said the government would ensure traders who were relocated from Kamkunji grounds conducted their business in a conducive environment.
Peter Kamau, a shoe seller at the new market, said the woes facing them lie squarely at the doorstep of the county government.
He said before the relocation, the county government should have first undertaken a public sensitisation forum to inform the people of the planned changes.
