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Kidero: No one is complaining about closure of city roads


Governor Evans Kidero on Thursday said his decision to close roundabouts in the capital was taken in the interests of residents.

Responding to a suit filed at the High Court, his lawyer Tom Ojienda said: “We are doing what Nairobians want, no one is complaining.”

On Thurday the court allowed Senator Mike Sonko to file a substantive application seeking to reverse the decision.

Justice Weldon Korir said the applicant should file the motion within three days and serve the Nairobi County Government, the Transport Cabinet secretary and National Transport and Safety Authority.

The judge directed the respondents to reply to the application within seven days and set the case for hearing on May 6.

OVERTAKEN BY EVENTS

Prof Ojienda, however, said Mr Sonko’s application had been overtaken by events.

But the senator’s lawyer, Mr Harrision Kinyanjui, argued that the county must act responsibly and be alive to the needs of the Nairobi motorist.

“We should not close our eyes to the reality on the ground. This case seeks to find an all-inclusive solution,” he said.

He said the Nairobi motorist would prefer overpasses instead of intersections.

Prof Ojienda said the county government, in attempting to tackle the traffic congestion, was executing its mandate and that “two teams that came up with the decision were gazetted and sought views from the public and the outcome is now being implemented.”

REOPENED

He said the governor was aware of the needs of residents and had reopened the Lusaka and Bunyala road junctions to ease the congestion.

Mr Sonko moved to court on April 14 challenging the decision to close the roundabouts, saying it had a serious effect on the economy due to the time spent in traffic jams.

The senator said the reconstruction was not only unlawful but posed a danger to road users.

He has also accused the Transport ministry of failing to provide alternative routes similar to the closed roads.