Francis Wambugu Irungu The Kirinyaga County Assembly has unanimously passed a motion calling for a sweeping overhaul of the county’s traffic management system, as Members of County Assembly pressed for immediate action to address worsening congestion, chaotic parking, and a fragmented transport network in the county’s urban centres.
Inoi Ward MCA Hon. Fredrick Karimi, who moved the motion, painted a stark picture of the current state of traffic in the county’s busy trading centres, arguing that narrow two-way streets and poor planning have made orderly parking nearly unattainable. He decried what he described as unjust vehicle clamping in areas where the infrastructure itself forces motorists into precarious situations.
Hon. Karimi further identified systemic failures undermining the county’s transport framework, among them weak enforcement mechanisms, absence of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, vague parking guidelines, and a glaring disconnect between transport planning and urban development. He urged the county government to forge stronger working relationships with national road agencies to improve traffic movement, particularly at intersections where county roads converge with major highways.
Kariti Ward MCA Hon. Jeremiah Makimi took aim at enforcement officers, condemning the practice of penalizing drivers in areas devoid of proper road signage as fundamentally unjust. He also raised concern over the impact of disorganized parking on pedestrians, who are often left to navigate unsafe, overcrowded spaces. His remarks drew support from Hon. Bernard Gichangi, who called on the County Executive to urgently recruit additional personnel to ease the growing workload within the transport enforcement department.
Nominated MCA Hon. Harrison Bundi broadened the conversation, stressing that traffic dysfunction carries consequences far beyond the roads. He argued that inefficiencies in movement ripple across the economy, healthcare access, and education, and called for the integration of traffic police into the reform process. He also advocated for the establishment of dedicated parking bays for persons living with disabilities and the expansion of pedestrian walkways across town centres.
The motion was passed during a session presided over by Deputy Speaker Hon. Jinaro Njamumo, with the Assembly issuing clear directives to the county executive to act within defined timelines. The resolutions include the development of a comprehensive traffic management framework within 90 days, public communication of designated routes within 14 days, and submission of updated transport plans within three months.
The passage of the motion signals growing impatience among elected representatives over the county’s failure to keep pace with rapid urbanization, and puts pressure on the executive to deliver tangible solutions to a problem that has long frustrated residents, traders, and commuters alike.
