The importance of the matatu industry has been emphasized by the findings of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research Analysis (Kippra) on the Economic Development of Nairobi County.
The government-funded research institute’s findings, which were made public on Friday, claim that 58.7% (or nearly six out of every ten) Nairobi residents utilize matatus, or public service vehicles, to travel to their places of employment.
Also, the statistics show that 17.1% (almost two out of every 10) of city inhabitants walk to work.
That means that eight out of ten city residents, or just under 80%, either walk or take a cab to work.
9.7% of city dwellers (or around one in ten) drive their own cars.
Bus users made up 3.7 percent of the population, while motorcyclists made up 3.9 percent.
This occurs at a time when the capital’s 10,000 matatus are operating on various routes, some of which connect to other counties.
The results also show that matatu stops and routes are more and more easily accessible than rail, making them the more practical form of transportation for the majority of Nairobi inhabitants.
“Many stops are concentrated in the central part of Nairobi, a sign of the fact that travel destinations are concentrated here as well. These destinations may include schools, work, home, social, shopping, businesses, or others,” the report says.
The findings also indicate that there is varying locational access to jobs for people living in various areas, which has led to spatial inequality.
According to the findings, while non-motorised modes of transport and PSVs are the predominant modes of transport, private car users have better access to employment opportunities.
“Using the overall average travel time per trip in Nairobi of 47 minutes, car users could access 58 percent of employment opportunities,” KIPPRA Senior Policy Analyst Dr Humphrey Njogu noted during the release of the findings.
