Nairobi Green Park Terminus Falls Under Control of Informal Groups

The Green Park terminus, constructed at a cost of Sh250 million during the tenure of the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services, was intended as a drop-off point for long-distance vehicles and matatus along Mombasa Road and Ngong Road. The five-acre facility in the CBD aimed to ease congestion in the city centre.

Years after completion and limited trials, the terminus has fallen into neglect. Uncollected garbage and a largely deserted appearance mark the site. A recent Nation investigation found that a group of youths, described by some as thugs or parking boys, now control access and collect parking fees from motorists.

Every vehicle entering is required to pay cash, with fees set at around Sh300 though negotiable if challenged. Official Nairobi City County parking attendants are kept away. Revenue collected does not reach county coffers, according to sources.

An anonymous City Hall officer said the youths are well known in official corridors and work for individuals linked to county leadership. Tiras Njoroge, Chief Officer for Revenue Administration, maintained the facility generates revenue for the county but provided no immediate evidence.

Governor Johnson Sakaja has previously described the project as a failure of its original purpose. He once suggested flattening the site to build a large conference centre on what he called one of the most prime pieces of land in East Africa.

A petrol station is now operational within the terminus, and plans are advanced to lease part of the facility to a Chinese firm for an electric vehicle charging point. Long-distance vehicles and matatus still park there during the day awaiting peak hours, but the system remains dysfunctional.

The project’s original goal of orderly public transport management has not been achieved. Taxpayers funded a facility that currently yields little formal public benefit while informal control persists.