Atwoli Comes To Sakaja's Rescue Amid Sonko, Gachagua Attacks

Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) secretary-general Francis Atwoli has stood by Nairobi governor, Johnson Sakaja's ambition to relocate matatus from the Central Business District (CBD).

Speaking on Saturday, December 31, Atwoli gave an account of his trip to Egypt where they improved its transport system from a loan taken from the World Bank.

He urged Nairobi residents to support Sakaja in improving the living conditions of the city like a section of its African counterparts instead of letting it run to the ground, controlled by cartels.

"I was recently in Egypt. They took a World Bank loan which they have utilised very well. They have put up expressways like the one in Nairobi.

"And that is why we want Sakaja to be supported to make Nairobi an international city like Cairo, Abuja, Johannesburg, Durban, Kigali, etc...not a city of matatu operators and drug traffickers," he said.

He further called upon the residents to assist Sakaja in improving the transport system in the city to ensure that it even meets satisfactory standards on their side.

"We must bring sanity to our city, and we must support Sakaja the governor of Nairobi to make sure it has organised public transport. Not the disorganised sector we currently have," Atwoli added.

Sakaja has been under fire from a section of political figures, including Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko over his plans to kick out matatus from the Central Business District (CBD), especially those plying the Nyanza, Western Kenya and Rift Valley routes and moving them to the Green Park terminus.

They cautioned him against making drastic directives that would cripple vital matatu operations in the country while criticizing him for making rash announcements without any consultation from stakeholders.

"If Sakaja continues to harass Nairobi business people we will mobilise people and send him home. We can also make the city ungovernable for him and finally send him home just like the first governor," Sonko stated on Monday, December 26.

Gachagua had fired a warning shot to Sakaja against making any knee-jerk announcements regarding the operations of the Nairobi CBD, reminding him that he mobilised residents of the vote-rich Mt Kenya region to vote for him.

"We don't want to go too fast, let's move slowly. The idea of removing matatus from Nairobi CBD is not a good one. Let us not start harassing people in business," he added.

Commenting on the matter while addressing Gikomba traders, Sakaja ruled out any bad blood between him and the deputy president, stating that he would engage him.

"I have seen online people peddling hate, as for me, I will not trade insults with my boss. There is no hate. We are one under Kenya Kwanza and such issues will be resolved amicably," he said.