Converting Juja Road into a trading zone

By Jimnah Mbaru

Last Sunday we put forth suggestions on how hawking within the Central Business District and its environs could be enhanced in the wake of the registration of hawkers. Today we turn our focus on the ten Kilometres stretch Juja Road, an important artery that cuts across the expansive Eastlands suburbs of the city. The revamping of Juja Road and making it a dual carriage has many implications for enhancing trade in the city as we propose here.

A neglected infrastructure

Being about ten Kilometres, Juja Road has drawn the most complaints by Nairobians in as far as its state is concerned. One only needs to look at write in letters to the editor in newspapers to appreciate the criticism directed at the Government (especially the past regime) about the state of Juja Road. No wonder it is one of the roads that Roads, Public Works and Housing Minister, Raila Odinga visited soon after his appointment.
In its current state, the Road is nearly impassable, with gaping potholes and despite many efforts in the past to re-carpet it.

The state of the Juja Road has led to both private and public service vehicles that would use it to reduce as Nairobians avoid it owing to the fact that motoring through it would call for frequent repairs in a circumstances where Kenyan's per capita income has dwindled.

The state of the Road has also impacted on the decision by Kenyans with better incomes not to live in the estates adjoining the road leaving these areas to low income earners.

The effect of the state of Juja Road on traffic flow

Looking at the traffic flow from the city centre, it would be easier for commuter vehicles that take passengers to as such estates as Dandora, Mathare North, Baba Ngogo and parts of Kariobangi to mention a few, to utilise Juja Road. It is no doubt because of the dilapidated state of the road that the commuter vehicles opt to access these highly populated estates through either Thika or Jogoo Roads, though the latter are longer routes.

Notably, both Thika and Jogoo Roads are dual carriage infrastructures as are other Roads stretching for distances equivalent to that of Juja Road.

Were proper road works- including conversion into a two way facility- to be undertaken on Juja Road, the traffic flow there would increase three fold from the current about 3,000 vehicles a day to close to approximately 9,000 vehicles in a day.
Apart from Uhuru Highway, Jogoo, Thika, Outer Ring, Lang'ta, Valley, Ngong Roads, Juja Road is one of the longest in the city. Yet even a cursory look of these other roads in comparison with Juja Road will reveal that the latter is the one that is most neglected. Not that the other mentioned roads could not do with further improvements.

With road users forced to take either Thika Road or Jogoo Road to access estates in the Eastlands, traffic jams have become the order of the day on the said roads. Were Juja Road to be repaired, the resultant attraction of vehicles to the road would ease congestion of Thika Road, Jogoo Road markedly reducing fuel consumption and saving time used in commuting.

As traffic experts would readily admit, the state of all major roads in the city and the nature of traffic flow on them have a bearing on traffic flow in the city.

Why the revamping of Juja Road is crucial

Given that Juja Road serves a population that is upwards of 100,000 people, its improvement could have a positive impact on the economy of Nairobi. We have mentioned that it would free up time used in commuting to undertaking economically viable activities be in offices or in the informal trading sector. Both private and public service vehicles would not be due for repairs as often as they do now thus increasing savings.

With sound planning, Juja Road could be made a dual carriage pass way, a development that would not only ease traffic flow, but one that would have long lasting solutions since one of the reasons why the road has become dilapidated shortly after repairs, apart from shoddy works, in the past is that it is a single lane road. Engineers and architects would bear testimony to the fact that a single lane road reduces the surface upon which vehicles pass thus exerting a lot of pressure that in turn impacts on the wear and tear of a road as is the case with Juja Road.

Value adding in revamping Juja Road

As we have mentioned before in this series, one of the biggest problems in making Nairobi a trade friendly city is the lack of amble space for trading purposes. While revamping Juja Road, the Minister for Roads, Public Works and Housing Hon Raila Odinga could consider the immense trading opportunities the road offers. In this, Mr Odinga would work closely with colleagues in line ministries to re-engineer Juja Road into a trading space.

A plan could be evolved where space is created on the roads side for eateries that could become popular with the passage of time. We are here suggesting the conversion of spaces on the sides of Juja Road into a Nyama Choma haven in the city. This idea has worked well in the Wandekeya area in Kampala and this is an idea that could be borrowed and domesticated to suit the Nairobi context. Already, there are Nyama Choma establishments on Juja Road that could do with enhancement.

It has become the in thing that whenever there are Nyama Choma eating places in Nairobi, motor vehicle garage businesses will also thrive. As such the construction of sheds for Jua Kali and even specialised motor vehicle repair within the convenience of the Nyama Choma eateries would work well.

Besides, the sale of ornamental merchandise- there is no shortage of such aesthetic commodities produced by our craftsmen- would be suitable in the created Nyama Choma areas. Indeed food related businesses have an element of recreation that would be a compliment in many other ways.

There is no denying the fact that where Nyama Choma businesses do well, social drinks such as beer, spirits, wines and other refreshments serve as accompaniments especially in the evenings and during weekends. As such Juja Road could become a major meeting point for social interactions and with improvement in security, could become another unique tourist attraction.

Benefits of improvement of Juja Road

The stated policy of the Narc Government is to create at least 500,000 new jobs per year. A big number of unemployed Kenyans in the city reside in the Mathare and other slums that are located in the area that Juja Road traverses. By improving the road and catering for business opportunities that the road offers, the unemployed people living in the slums would benefit from the approximately 20,000 jobs that would be created. These people would be trained in the basics of hospitality to serve in the created Nyama Choma zone as well as in the other business and trading opportunities as enumerated above.

The problems of insecurity posed by the slum are to a large extent a result of high levels of unemployment in the area adjoining Juja Road. By creating possibilities for trade, the insecurity problem would also be reduced.

Besides, there is the Kiamaiko slaughter house in the Kariobangi area that would supply the Nyama Choma business thus offering jobs in related business like leather and leather products.

We have also mentioned above that due to the poor state of Juja Road, many of Nairobians from the upper middle classes have opted not to stay in its vicinity since the toll on their vehicles would be high, among other reasons. By making the road a dual carriage and setting up organised road side trading set ups, the areas such as Pangani could attract this section of the population that has an appreciable purchasing power thus increasing trading possibilities in the area.

The writer is the Chairman of Dyer and Blair Ltd., a stock broking company, a member of the Nairobi Stock Exchange. E-mail address: mbaru@dyer.africaonline.co.ke

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