Nairobi, Kenya's Capital Gradually Changing Face
Insecurity was rife with most street lights not functioning. There were gangs of street boys who were living in the streets almost unchecked. They were unpredictable and could turn on visitors and locals at will. It was impossible to get a decent public toilet. Indeed anywhere near the toilets was a no go zone due to sheer mismanagement.All that has since changed. After taking over power in 2002, the Kibaki government initiated a parking boys rehabilitation programme that got rid of many street families in Nairobi. The boys and girls were taken to national youth services institutions, where they were trained in various skills. The streets lights have since been repaired.
Roads inside and those leading to the city have now been re carpeted or are in the process of being repaired. Building owners have been asked to have face lifts of their plots and this has made a big difference to the streets.
Suburbs that have come up seem to be attracting a lot of creativity with the best pieces of architecture now seen in upperhill and westlands areas. Indeed it has become the in thing for companies that are doing well to be housed outside the city centre.
The perennial problem of traffic jams, is being tackled in phases. One of the biggest contributing factor of jams is the public service vehicles popularly known as matatus which ply through the city. In a bold move that has not been popular with the matatu operators, the city has rocked out most matatu operators from the city centre.
This has contributed in decongesting the city, although it remains a long way from the ideal position. Some routes are yet to have alternative parking space outside the town to enable the city council keep them off the city.
But it is what the city planners are promising of the city in the near future that is mouth watering. Nairobi is set for a major face lift once the road projects that have been initiated are completed. The Jomo Kenyatta international is already undergoing a major expansion that should see it triple its current flight handling capacity. A road network that will link the airport and the city has been initiated and should be complete in two years.
Other road bypasses that will keep off travelers who come from Mombasa but have no business in the city centre are already under construction. An overhead road link from the airport to the United Nations African office is also in the offing.
The railway transport is set for major changes as well. Although Kenyans do not travel much using the railway, electric tramps may be coming soon, for the city service. When completed it is said that these will be the only modes of transport allowed in the city centre. With the country now out of the troubled phase of January 2008, there is no stopping the new government from accomplishing their expectations especially if you take into account Mwai Kibaki"s achievements in his first term as president.