Stakeholders Consultative Workshop on the Draft National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP)
The State Department for Transport hosted the first Stakeholders’ Consultative Workshop for the Draft National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) today in Nairobi.
In his opening remarks read by the Director, Central Planning and Projects Development at the State Department Mrs. Grace Mwangi, Principal Secretary Mr. Mohamed Daghar stated that urban transport, being the backbone of Kenya’s cities and towns, by facilitating economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability, faces challenges such as congestion, inadequate infrastructure, pollution, road safety concerns and limited access to efficient public transport. The PS opined that these challenges not only derail productivity but also impact the quality of life for millions of citizens living in urban areas especially in major cities with large populations.
The PS stated that it is against this background that the Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Roads and Transport, State Department for Transport in partnership with the World Bank plans to implement the Kenya Urban Mobility Improvement Project-(KUMIP) aimed at addressing urban mobility challenges affecting urban areas in the country. The project focuses on improving urban mobility through policy, institutional strengthening, improvement in commuter rail services, non-motorized infrastructure as well as Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
The PS stated that NUTP being one of the components under KUMIP will support improvement of urban transport systems ensuring they are well-planned, safe, affordable, and environmentally friendly. The policy also seeks to address aspects such as integration, coordination, and planning for Non-Motorized Transport (NMT), Mass Rapid Transit (MRTs), urban land use, and institutional arrangements within the urban transport sector in Kenya.
The workshop held in a hybrid format (physical and virtual participants), had stakeholders comprising policymakers, industry leaders and urban planners drawn from Federation of Public Transport Sector (FPTS), Kenya Bikers Association, Council of Governors (CoG), County Government Transport CECs, Ministry of Interior and National Administration including County Commissioners, Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, State Agencies under the Ministry of Roads and Transport; Kenya Railways, National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and the State Departments for Roads and Transport.
During the workshop, participants broke into Focus Group Discussions to analyze and give feedback and views on the draft policy’s objectives, statements and strategies, critical issues in urban transport, the NUTP proposed implementation plan, and monitoring and evaluation framework. Plenary sessions were then held to collate, critique and iron out the FGD’s viewpoints on each of those aspects.
Today’s stakeholders’ input will be incorporated to enrich the draft NUTP policy before it is subjected to further consultations, public participation and stakeholder validation forums.
