Parliament Transport, Infrastructure, Public Works and Housing vice chairman Moses Kuria claims Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko is frustrating efforts to decongest the capital city.
Kuria claims Sonko is opposed to the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NAMATA), a policy intervention to address transport problems in Nairobi and its neighbouring Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Murang’a counties.
“Sonko remains bitterly opposed to NAMATA on the spurious grounds that it is a ploy to deny him revenue and claw back on his powers. Both claims are unfounded and not true. He is the biggest impediment to streamlining the greater Nairobi Metropolitan Area’s transportation. His latest moves to adopt knee jerk measures to ‘decongest the city’ are just a smokescreen meant to divert attention from his opposition to NAMATA” Kuria claims.
Kuria says government approach on decongesting Nairobi lies in the policy he claims parliament shelved after Sonko and section of Nairobi leadership indicated opposition to its implementation.
“As Parliament we decided to withdraw NAMATA bill because it was clear it could not have gone through. Sonko and part of Nairobi leadership is opposed to it” Kuria alleges.
He says; “To resolve transport issues in Nairobi requires a very comprehensive approach. Nairobi’s transportation problems are complex as they have built up over time. They require sophisticated, comprehensive, well thought out and multi-disciplinary solutions. Until that time, we can be able to operationalise NAMATA, any other effort is just musical chairs”.
