I have downloaded it and have started reading it. However, I must reiterate that you need to tone down your emotions.

I simply wrote that this project was a mistake. I could have written that the people behind it are idiots; but that would be insulting.

Because they did their study and used their professional know-how to decide that expansion of the road is the best course of action. I do not dispute that point.

My view is that the professional decision was wrong. By that I do not imply that they are idiots; or that they are incompetent. NO!

All I mean is that they came to the wrong conclusion.

Remember what I said earlier: we must be careful not to lose sight of the objective. The problem is not the size of the road; it is the number of people that need to move from that area to the city every day.

In conclusion, therefore, we agree the the TRANSPORT system in the area needs improvement. What we disagree on are two points: [1]the method of improvement and [2] the language of making our points - I think you are being unnecessarily rude.

yekeyeke

Respect other peoples views. The road is a public good, for use by everone. Dont personalise it bwana.

@yekeyeke:

from the link you provided:http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/KE-2007-087-EN-ADF-BD-WP-REV.1-KENYA-AR-REV.1-NAIROBI-THIKA-HIGHWAY-PROJECT.PDF

3.7.4 More than 80% of public transport consists of small matatus, which is not an efficient
use of limited urban infrastructure and causes traffic congestion and traffic accidents. There is
an urgent need to improve the public transportation system in Nairobi by introducing other
modes of public transport with high carrying capacity such as LRT, and BRT. This action should
be complemented by strengthening mode interchange, and introducing shuttle buses in the
CBD. In addition strong consideration should be given for improving the institutional and
regulatory framework for management and operation of public transport system2

in 4.1.4;The
infrastructure development such as widening and additional lanes, construction of new roads or
bypasses will not provide enough capacity to cope with future demand. Therefore, there is an
urgent need to formulate and design a comprehensive public transportation system for the NMA
to develop an environment with increased capacity and modal choices including possibly light
rail transit, bus rapid transit, enhanced commuter rail and a restructured bus/matatu service.

So,understand what we are saying.Widening Thika road is okay,it should have been done 20 years ago.IT IS NOT THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION.In Kenya,we were so used to things being wrong,that when a good thing is done,we think its the BEST. No. We need the BEST solutions.

CORRECTION: I have NOT agreed that this expansion wasn't a mistake.

What I agree with you on is that the people of Thika road need an efficient mode of transport to get them into the city to do their business. I also agree that it is extremely unfair to have to wake up at 4am so as to get to work at 8am.

I don't think expanding the road is the right solution. Na sio matharau.

As I mentioned earlier: the aim is NOT to move cars and lorries efficiently; it is to move people and goods confortably

Ephy and Mukiha

When Mukiha started the post, he started this as a statement and not a question. This is what i am against.

Agreed that Roads will never be enough and so will trains. Roads and Trains have to complement one another. But we CANNOT build rails BEFORE we have build roads.

May be the headline of the post should have appropriately been:
-Was thika road expansion a mistake?
or - Should be build railline next?

but not to come to the conclusion that thika road expsnion was a mistake simply because you were coaught up in traffic when going shags uring xmas.

People of western kenya and rift vally also hd a hectic time with trafiic around that time and i do not see them calling for a ral line to western kenya like you guys are doing. Kweli dunia ina watu.

Mistake or no mistake, let us us learn to appreciate other peoples initiatives. We may sing about railway lines that may never come to be. Personally, I believe and fully support what the Chinese are doing on Thika roadbut will kindly ask yekeyeke to restrain his infrated ego.

@Wamutonyi

I dont have an iflated ego. May be you do. Wachana na thika road imalizwe in peace......

Anyone whow needs a rail can build the same using a PPP.

@Mukiha

I am bitter because i know the problems on thika road. I use the road every day of the week. The road needs to be expanded badly. I want to drive my car and to take my kids to school and to go to work and come home every day of the week without suffering in endless sick jams. So when i have to wake up every day at 4am, it become personal when anyone critisizes and throughs matharau at the good work thats being doen there.

Other than that mimi najivunia kuwa mkenya.

@Yekeyeke...

the answer to your predicament lies in the document you asked us to download and your dreams are actually not at odds with Mukiha's suggestion... ADB recognises in that doc that expansion of the road is not the silver bullet that will sort all your problems. They recognise that matatus are a very inefficient way of moving the masses (some of whom are not as lucky as you are to drive your children)Note that the bank proposes the use of shuttles... Extend that thought and surely you will see that trains are simply longer shuttles that will ferry more of the matatu customers... leaving you with more space on the road to drive your kids..

No doubt the train would not have been enough and the road still required to be expanded but looking at priorities, rail would definitely have been a better solution...

The only thing that Mukiha may not have taken into account is the inefficiency and corruption in our govt... Such a big project would have been milked for all its worth and would probably never be completed... or would have gone the Puffet way... At least roads money is beginning to look like small potatoes for our fat cats...

On paper maybe, but drawing a parallel with the work I've seen being done by a lot of consultants... when the client doesn't have a lot of experience in a certain area, there's always a way to charge huge overruns... That's why audit fees are usually not that high.. chances are the client has been audited before... Lakini consultancy fees on the Y2K bug were out of this world, despite the fact that it turned out to be nothing... and that's where the fat cats would have come in...

Not that any of the above is an excuse for not doing the right thing