The municipal council in Nairobi is bringing in a number of by-laws which are to help Nairobi reach world capital status. At least that is their expressed intention. But when you read the list you have to wonder how well the new laws have been thought through.
Some make a great deal of sense. For example, they want to ban the use of a mkokoteni (a handcart) in the capital. I can’t remember how many times I have been stuck in a big traffic jam only to discover it was because someone was pushing a handcart down the main thoroughfare making it nigh to impossible for vehicles to pass! Getting rid of such obstacles should help keep the traffic flowing. A good move.
Other new laws are downright strange. It will now be an offence for your dog to impregnate someone else’s dog without the owner’s consent. So how will the city regulate that? How will they ever determine the guilty party?
The Standard on the 19th June, 2009 also reported that pedestrians walking on the zebra crossing must walk on the white-stripes and keep to the left. Perhaps it might be safer to cross the road where there are no zebra crossings (though that’s probably banned now too) rather than forget and cross on the right. A 2,000/ Ksh fine for such an oversight would not be a happy outcome!
The city will also ban any loading and unloading within the city centre during the day. Shops will therefore have to bring in all their supplies at night. Will the city offer the needed security to ensure the store owners aren’t robbed blind? Somehow I doubt it. To prevent problems, shops will have to provide their own security. This will surely have an impact on the price of goods.
The Town Clerk, Philip Kisia, was quoted as saying that the Nairobi City Council was going to implement hourly parking “in response to motorist requests.” I wonder which motorists they surveyed. I can’t imagine anybody asking for what will become an increase in the parking rate.
He also claims that Nairobi has some of the lowest parking costs in the world, making the point that parking in Europe and Asia is five to six times what it is in Nairobi. The City Council will therefore look at both land value and the cost of parking in other world cities to determine what the new rates should be. But Nairobi isn’t in Europe and Asia. The question is, where would Nairobi stand in comparison to other capitals in Africa? How much does parking cost in Kampala? Dodoma? Kigali? Pretoria? Accra? Khartoum? Adis Ababa?
Why is there such a need to compare things to the West and Asia all the time? Where does the myth come from that everything is better in the West? And why do some MPs seem to always encourage such a view? Is it perhaps that they spend too much time in the West and Asia rather than in their own constituencies? One can only wonder.
If the Nairobi City Council insists on comparing the city with the West, then why not look at safety and security, whether or not water and electricity are adequately supplied for, or at public transport facilities? Or perhaps one could just look at the state of the sidewalks. How many gaping holes can you find in either the sidewalk or the road? In Nairobi, some are large enough for a person to fully disappear into! Or what about other obstacles which pedestrians have to negotiate around, pipes or steel bars sticking out of the street, for example? Does that make any sense? Of course, to fix these things costs money, unlike parking fees which bring in the money.
Considering the state of the sidewalks, and even many roads, it’s hard to believe that the new by-laws also ban roller skating or skate boarding. The obstacles themselves are probably enough deterrent to stop anyone from even trying such modes of mobility. But perhaps the government is optimistic and they anticipate a great improvement in the infrastructure in the near future which will enable such activities.
Philip Kisia claims that Nairobians have “a habit of driving up to the doorsteps.” Sure you can drive up to “the doorsteps.” The only question is, which doorsteps? They sure won’t be the ones you need. You’re more likely to find the first free parking spot clear on the other side of town! It does make one wonder when Mr Kisia last drove into town himself.
The Capital News tried to clarify some of the nuances of the new laws: “The by-laws make it an offence for motorists to cross roads outside designated zebra crossings.” I can’t imagine how they expect that to work. So where do they propose motorists should drive? And what happens to the pedestrians? And, more to the point, who edits such news reports?
The Standard (19.Jun.09) too tried to make some of the new laws clear regarding the new “parking positions:” “For drivers wishing to change car-parking position would be committing an offense unless an interval of 30 minutes elapses, and should not be within a distance of 22.9 metres.” Can someone please explain what that means?
Some make a great deal of sense. For example, they want to ban the use of a mkokoteni (a handcart) in the capital. I can’t remember how many times I have been stuck in a big traffic jam only to discover it was because someone was pushing a handcart down the main thoroughfare making it nigh to impossible for vehicles to pass! Getting rid of such obstacles should help keep the traffic flowing. A good move.
Other new laws are downright strange. It will now be an offence for your dog to impregnate someone else’s dog without the owner’s consent. So how will the city regulate that? How will they ever determine the guilty party?
The Standard on the 19th June, 2009 also reported that pedestrians walking on the zebra crossing must walk on the white-stripes and keep to the left. Perhaps it might be safer to cross the road where there are no zebra crossings (though that’s probably banned now too) rather than forget and cross on the right. A 2,000/ Ksh fine for such an oversight would not be a happy outcome!
The city will also ban any loading and unloading within the city centre during the day. Shops will therefore have to bring in all their supplies at night. Will the city offer the needed security to ensure the store owners aren’t robbed blind? Somehow I doubt it. To prevent problems, shops will have to provide their own security. This will surely have an impact on the price of goods.
The Town Clerk, Philip Kisia, was quoted as saying that the Nairobi City Council was going to implement hourly parking “in response to motorist requests.” I wonder which motorists they surveyed. I can’t imagine anybody asking for what will become an increase in the parking rate.
He also claims that Nairobi has some of the lowest parking costs in the world, making the point that parking in Europe and Asia is five to six times what it is in Nairobi. The City Council will therefore look at both land value and the cost of parking in other world cities to determine what the new rates should be. But Nairobi isn’t in Europe and Asia. The question is, where would Nairobi stand in comparison to other capitals in Africa? How much does parking cost in Kampala? Dodoma? Kigali? Pretoria? Accra? Khartoum? Adis Ababa?
Why is there such a need to compare things to the West and Asia all the time? Where does the myth come from that everything is better in the West? And why do some MPs seem to always encourage such a view? Is it perhaps that they spend too much time in the West and Asia rather than in their own constituencies? One can only wonder.
If the Nairobi City Council insists on comparing the city with the West, then why not look at safety and security, whether or not water and electricity are adequately supplied for, or at public transport facilities? Or perhaps one could just look at the state of the sidewalks. How many gaping holes can you find in either the sidewalk or the road? In Nairobi, some are large enough for a person to fully disappear into! Or what about other obstacles which pedestrians have to negotiate around, pipes or steel bars sticking out of the street, for example? Does that make any sense? Of course, to fix these things costs money, unlike parking fees which bring in the money.
Considering the state of the sidewalks, and even many roads, it’s hard to believe that the new by-laws also ban roller skating or skate boarding. The obstacles themselves are probably enough deterrent to stop anyone from even trying such modes of mobility. But perhaps the government is optimistic and they anticipate a great improvement in the infrastructure in the near future which will enable such activities.
Philip Kisia claims that Nairobians have “a habit of driving up to the doorsteps.” Sure you can drive up to “the doorsteps.” The only question is, which doorsteps? They sure won’t be the ones you need. You’re more likely to find the first free parking spot clear on the other side of town! It does make one wonder when Mr Kisia last drove into town himself.
The Capital News tried to clarify some of the nuances of the new laws: “The by-laws make it an offence for motorists to cross roads outside designated zebra crossings.” I can’t imagine how they expect that to work. So where do they propose motorists should drive? And what happens to the pedestrians? And, more to the point, who edits such news reports?
The Standard (19.Jun.09) too tried to make some of the new laws clear regarding the new “parking positions:” “For drivers wishing to change car-parking position would be committing an offense unless an interval of 30 minutes elapses, and should not be within a distance of 22.9 metres.” Can someone please explain what that means?
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