The participants from the Steering Committee Meeting
First bi-annual Progress Steering Committee Meeting
On April 12, NTU’s team, including managing director Lars Bentzen, attended the first bi-annual steering committee meeting for our Kenya transport sector project. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, and all key stakeholders were in attendance. The first 6 months of the project implementation has been successfully completed, and the feedback NTU has received from the key institutions working on the project has been very positive.
NTU’s managing director, Lars Bentzen, who also attended the kick-off meeting for the project, said after the Steering Committee meeting:
“Returning to Nairobi after 1/2-year implementation of the Institutional Support to the Kenyan Transport Sector project - and our stakeholders at the Steering Committee are more enthusiastic than ever. Thanks to the participants and to our NTU team working on the project. Let’s continue our sustainable impact in Kenya!”
Traffic in Nairobi
In addition to structuring the Capacity Building plan for the Transport Sector of Kenya, which is to be implemented over the next 3 years, the first 6 months of the project has been dedicated to the continuous and focused support to the newly established Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.
Nairobi’s urban mobility challenges
To address the urban mobility challenges of Nairobi, the Government of Kenya recommended the establishment of Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NaMATA). NaMATA was established in 2017 with the mission to:“Oversee the establishment of an integrated, efficient, effective and sustainable public transport system within the Nairobi Metropolitan Area (NMA)”.
This authority will be instrumental in the coordination between multiple ongoing transport initiatives in Nairobi, ensuring harmonization of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) Lines, overseeing the BRT implementation and helping to establish a clear roadmap for improving sustainable transport facilities in Nairobi.
From NaMATA's study tour to Dar Es Salaam
Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority
The efforts of NaMATA are expected to help address the major issue of traffic congestion in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, thus leading to improved economic productivity, a reduction in air pollution and increased safety for road users. The EU-funded project, Institutional Support to the Kenyan Transport Sector, provides dedicated support to NaMATA in their continuous development as the transport authority for the Nairobi Metropolitan Area.
In the short-term, the main and most urgent focus points, targeted by the NTU consultant team are:
- Defining the organisation structure, elaborating the staffing and recruiting the staff.
- Taking up the active coordination of the BRT projects, starting with developing the missing framework for BRT infrastructure and operation.
- Develop a Public Transport Management Plan for the Nairobi Metropolitan Area (NMA)
From NaMATA's study tour to Dar Es Salaam
With other focus points being:
- Capacity building
- Design and implementation of the BRT corridors
- Contracting and managing BRT operating services
- Transition of the present bus and matatu sector
- Implementing traffic management, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), and traffic control
- Parking management
- Non-Motorised Transport (NMT)