Governor-elect Susan Kihika speaks at Ngomongo polling station in Bahati, Nakuru County on August 9, 2022. [Harun Wathari, Standard]
Just a day after Senator Susan Kihika was declared governor-elect of Nakuru, matatu operators in the county have begun a plot to return their operations to the Central Business District (CBD).
During his campaigns, Kihika capitalized on their eviction, promising them that if elected, he would facilitate their return to the old city center bus terminal.
“I understand the challenges that the eviction has posed to the sector and to the businesses that depended on the term. Once elected, I will ensure that matatus return to the city,” Kihika said.
The operators were evicted from the CBD by Governor Lee Kinyanjui’s administration in 2020 to deal with congestion that left motorists stranded for hours.
“As a city, we must come up with strategies to address congestion. We have moved the terminal to the outskirts of the city and secured more land to set up a modern bus parking,” Kinyanjui said.
As a temporary solution, his administration established three new terminals outside the city where matatus have been operating for the past three years amid operators’ restlessness.
With the election of Kihika, the Central Rift Matatu Owners Association, led by its president Stephen Muli, called a meeting on Saturday to deliberate on his return to the CBD.
“We tried to seek an audience with Kinyanjui but she rejected us. We have supported Kihika and now that she is ready to take over as governor, we are counting on her promise,” Muli said.
The eviction had been done in line with Covid-19 containment measures before the county announced that the matatus would not be allowed to return.
This was followed by battles between them and the police as the operators tried unsuccessfully to force their way back into the CBD on several occasions.
The association’s vice president, Francis Njoroge, said their return will be monitored especially by the number of matatus in the city centre.