KENYA: Support to the Nairobi Mobility Authority (2021- 2023)

Like many metropolises, travel needs are increasing sharply in Nairobi and the transport offer is still largely oriented towards motorised transport. In response, the Kenyan authorities, supported by international donors, have been carrying out various mass transport projects since the mid-1990s, including the creation of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network, the rehabilitation and extension of the urban rail network (commuter rail line), and the coordination of a non-motorised transport network.

In 2017, an executive order created NaMATA, the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, to implement and coordinate this integrated metropolitan transport network. With a very broad remit, the authority is nonetheless struggling to assert its mandate and become operational in a fragmented institutional context, without sustainable sources of funding or a clearly defined remit. A certain number of functions which should be its prerogative are still under the responsibility of other agencies and NaMATA’s role has therefore been limited to the development of the BRT network, of which the first pilot line, BRT 2, is currently under construction.

The technical cooperation led by CODATU aims to provide NaMATA with

• Support for the consolidation and structuring of NaMATA, through the identification of internal needs in terms of skills and human resources to carry out the BRT line 2 and BRT line 3 projects
• Specific technical support on strategic projects, in particular on the subjects of contractualisation with transport operators and modernisation of the small-scale transport sector.
• This support will be implemented through thematic workshops, technical visits to French cities and several African metropolises, and targeted expertise missions.

Codatu Team