Mombasa County Transport executive Taufiq Balala has suspended the new Traffic rules that were implemented last week on Tuesday.
Balala, who addressed the media on Tuesday morning at the Inspectorate headquarters in Tudor, said the move was reached at after wide consultations with Mombasa governor Hassan Joho.
He said that the new traffic rules that involved a one way circuit route around Mombasa CBD was going to allow faster flow of motor vehicles in four expanded lanes adding that it would also cater for future development of a BRT system as well as create sufficient room for non-motorized cycling lanes.
He defended the new traffic system dubbed ‘Double 2 Double 2’ saying that the declared changes were intended to secure the best traffic system for the interest of Mombasa residents.
The new traffic system however brought in chaos and confusion on the roads with Matatu operators protesting the new directive saying they were taking longer routes to get to their destinations.
Following the uproar from industry players and other stakeholders, Balala bowed to pressure and suspended the directive.
“This traffic plan was meant to serve the different interest of all residents of Mombasa county, however, as long as a sizeable number of the population in the affected areas feel aggrieved, we cannot ignore their plight,”
“I have this morning after consultation with the governor, directed that the Mombasa county government department of transport reconsider the plans currently being implemented and review the same. To this end and in response to the good people of Mombasa, I have ordered the immediate suspension of the traffic management plan effective today midnight,” said Balala.
Following the suspension, normal traffic along the busy Jomo Kenyatta road all the way to Abdel Nassir road is expected to revert back to the two way traffic system beginning Wednesday morning.
The directive had received a lot of uproar from the matatu operators, the political class and even Human right organisations who had planned to stage a demo on teusday led by the Mombasa First Action Movement.
On Monday evening while meeting Matatu Operators in Bombolulu, Mombasa gubernatorial aspirant and businessman Suleiman Shahbal called for the immediate suspension of the new traffic rules saying that it was not going to work.
“Public transport stakeholder are up in arms while dissenting voices continue to raise, we cannot ignore our people. I am urging the county government of Mombasa to immediately stop this new rule and rethink it,” said Shahbal.
Mvita Member of Parliament Abdulswamad Nassir had earlier on Sunday while attending the issuance of bursary cheques for Likoni NG-CDF called on the county government to reconsider the directive and call for a stakeholders meeting.
“Leadership is not about scolding others on the media and political platforms, it is about sitting down and discussing and addressing issues to come with solutions,” said Nassir.
He added that, “A person who tells the king that he is naked doesn’t hate him but loves him, I call upon the people surrounding the governor to advise him well.”
The suspension of the new traffic system follows a looming strike that was planned for Wednesday by the Mombasa First Action Movement
