The stalled relocation of PSV matatus from the three main termini to the newly constructed Field Marshal Muthoni Kirima bus station has elicited mixed reactions among Nyeri residents.
While several residents view it as a necessity in addressing frequent traffic gridlock within the town CBD, others claim this will create more inconvenience to both human and vehicular flow.
And for others like Benson Waweru, a bodaboda operator, the planned relocation will boost their businesses as passengers alighting at the new stage will need to be ferried to the town CBD located some 1.5 Kilometers away.
“This step is welcome for us. We can now ferry additional customers to and from the new stage unlike now. To me this is a windfall for bodaboda operators as it means extra income for riders like me,” he states.
However, for Cyrus Ndumia, another bodaboda operator who operates from the Soko Mjinga pick up point, the planned relocation will end up being counterproductive to those operating from the town center due to the reduced number of passengers.
He said in the event the planned move falls into place, passengers will either opt to walk or take cheaper modes of transport to move to their preferred destinations.
“We often wait for our clients from this point which is near the main bus stage and our customers know where to find us. In the event the County Government makes true its decision to move all the PSV matatus to the Field Marshal terminus then it would be quite impossible to operate from here due to lack of clients. We hope this does not take place,” he prays.
But for a PSV matatu driver like Kelvin Wangari who has operated within and out of Nyeri town for years, relocating both commuters and PSV operators will only create more problems than it will solve.
He said the County government would have relooked at the long term impacts of the plan to both passengers and PSV operators who have long operated from the heart of Nyeri before finally arriving at the decision.
“For the longest time I have been working as a PSV driver, it has always been easier and convenient for both passengers and operators operating from the current matatu pick up and drop off points. Now moving this location 1.5 kilometers away will only add pain to the members of the public who now will be forced to dig deeper into their pockets in order to access the new stage. And for those who cannot afford, walking will not be an option,” pointed out Wangari.
Traders plying their wares at the heart of the town are also worried about the fate of their business once the three main stages cease operation.
Some like Joyce Wanjiku dread they may end up losing almost their entire sales as majority of their customers will opt to do their shopping at malls located near the new stage.
She argues the new changes will eventually force them out of business altogether and jeopardize their only means of earning a livelihood.
“I have no problem with the relocation, as long as the vehicle will be able to come from the bus station to where we operated from. Unless this happens our businesses will get interrupted and majority of us will get displaced,” explained Wanjiku.
The current push and pull between PSV operators, businesspersons on one and the County Government on the other over the contentious relocation spilled over last year and ended in court.
The High court later granted the County Government the greenlight to transfer all the PSV matatu to the new terminus.
However, despite the ruling, the operators have failed to agree with the county government on how to proceed including the timeline in which to undertake the transfer.
Initially transport operations were to be moved to the ultra-modern terminus in November last year in compliance with a directive issued by the County Government.
But eight long distance matatu operators moved to the High Court in Nyeri seeking orders to block exercise on grounds that the county government had not conducted adequate public participation before effecting the order as enshrined in the constitution.
They also argued that the order showed bias and discrimination on their place of business given that they had been operating in the town’s CBD for 50 years and that the relocation to the new terminus -which held no business prospects-would undermine their right to a decent livelihood.
Further, they termed the order as a threat and an attempt to finish their matatu business and their business goodwill given that the county was pushing them to a new and unknown set up far from Nyeri CBD.
Nevertheless, the court dismissed the suite in June this year on the grounds it lacked merit.
In his determination, Justice Kizito Magare stated the matatu operators had failed to demonstrate the manner in which the public participation sessions held by the county government on diverse dates between 2019 and 2025 and which their representatives had attended, failed to meet the constitutional threshold.
He also noted that the matatu saccos had failed to demonstrate how the Executive Order by county government to relocate the operators from three bus termini within Nyeri CBD had discriminated against them.
And on August 26 this year Nyeri County Governor Dr. Mutahi Kahiga vowed to go ahead with the relocation program even as PSV operators remained adamant to the directive.
Dr. Mutahi had warned he will never be cowed by threats from those opposing the move to move from the CBD and would ensure the exercise is implemented in toto.
“Those who are threatening to defy our directive for PSV matatus to relocate to the new stage found me here and will not thwart my plans to reorganize our town transport system. I will state here categorically that all PSV matatu must relocate. That’s a fact. They are threatening to deny me votes but I am less concerned. We are going to implement our directives the way former Transport Minister John Michuki did in the matatu sector. We cannot retrace our steps now.” stated the County boss during the funeral service of Francis Munyiri at Maragina village in Kieni East.
The new bus terminus was expected to address the challenge of endless traffic gridlocks that end up inconveniencing commuters in wasted man-hours.
It was financed under the Kenya Urban Support Programme, a World Bank initiative whose objective is to spur economic development in counties through improved physical infrastructure development.
The facility features 240 matatu, bus, taxi and tuk-tuk bays, 1,000 booking offices, 40 parking bays and 98 passenger waiting bays.
In addition, the park hosts 1,000 business stalls, five sanitation blocks, high level water tanks and a modern solid waste chamber.
By Samuel Maina and Diana Odipo
