Governor Kahiga, MP Mathenge clash over reorganisation of Nyeri town

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga  and Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge have locked horns over the county boss' bid to reorganise the transport and trade sectors at Nyeri town's Central Business District (CBD).

The county government wants to relocate Public Service Vehicles (PSV) operators and traders from the CBD to the ultramodern Field Marshal Muthoni Kirima Bus Park--located about 1.5 kilometres away.

Mr Kahiga wants the Sh600 million facility, which includes a bus terminus and an Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) market, be occupied so as to ease congestion at the bustling Nyeri town.

The facility, located at Asian Quarters estate, was opened by President William Ruto on August 7, 2023.

But Mr Mathenge has lashed out at the governor's administration, arguing that the move would render thousands of traders and matatu operators jobless.

"I want to tell you Mutahi Kahiga that we are going nowhere. Let the worst happen, but we will not move out of the CBD to Asian Quarters. As dwellers of this town, we are the majority and we will not allow someone to satisfy his own personal agenda," Mr Mathenge told matatu operators and traders in Nyeri town on Monday.

The MP, who is a key ally to President Ruto, made his address amid heckling from a section of the crowd.

"We have thousands of families who depend on this town to eke there living. Parts of this town are dead without economic activities going on and our industrious businessmen and businesswomen have been working hard to revive it. This town can accommodate all of us," Mr Mathenge said.

The governor - through his Executive for Lands, Physical Planning, Housing and Urban Development Mr Ndirangu Gachunia - said accused the MP for failing to challenge the relocation process during the public participation stage.

Mr Gachunia said his department have held several engagements with stakeholders from various sectors regarding the process and have been given the greenlight.

"Our Nyeri Town MP is raising this issue at the tail end of this ambitious process which has undergone several public participation forums with stakeholders from various sectors. Again, he appears before the public with no information regarding the planning agenda of Nyeri town," Mr Gachunia told the media at his Nyeri town office.

"People who are elected by the public should read the available documents and ought to have written letters, raising critical questions regarding the planning process. This is a project whose time has come and must be effected accordingly," he added.

The Executive said they intend to expand and decongest the bustling town

"If you walk through the town in the evening, you can hardly move because of congestion. We are now going to hold another meeting with the transport sector and I believe that we will agree amicably like we have done all along," said Mr Gachunia.

He said that in the new plan, hawking will be restricted to specific designated streets.

"We will restrict hawking to identified streets and we have started engaging the hawkers as well. We cannot allow hawkers on all the streets, but we will allocate identified sections for them with proper lighting so that we promote 24-hour economy," the physical planning boss said.

Dumpsite

Initially, the Field Marshal Muthoni Kirima Bus Park was a dumpsite – Asian Quarters dumpsite – and the process of converting it started in 2019 and was completed in 2021.

It was financed through the World Bank under the Kenya Urban Support Programme (KUSP) with an aim of spurring growth through improved physical infrastructure development.

The facility has 240 bays for matatu, taxi, bus and tuk-tuk, 51 lorry bays, 94 passenger waiting bays, 40 parking bays and 98 booking offices.

The park has 600 business stalls, five sanitation blocks, water tanks, and a modern solid waste chamber.