One-way plan for Nairobi traffic

One-way project to become operational within three months

Key streets in Nairobi are to be converted into one-way routes as part of measures to improve traffic flow, according to an announcement by the Nairobi governor Evans Kidero.

The streets affected include Moi Avenue, Koinange Street, Kimathi Street, Tom Mboya Road and Kirinyaga Road which will become one-way within three months.

The one-way system is part of a Sh400-million project by local authorities and central government to tackle the capital's gridlocked streets, and includes the replacement of several roundabouts with signalised junctions.

Other measures already introduced include a freeze on the licensing of any new public service vehicles and the banning of trolleys and handcarts from using the city's roads.

The time allocated to public service vehicles for waiting at bus stops has been fixed at five minutes, and a maximum of 40 minutes at bus depots.

The number of cars in circulation in Nairobi is testimated at about 800,000 – up from the 2013 figure of 330,000 – while the cost of the city's traffic congestion to Kenya's economy is estimated at about 1.5 per cent of the national gross domestic product (GDP).