Traffic Marshalls to Take Over City Roads from March

Traffic police officers will cease to be on city roads effective March 1 and their roles fully handed over to traffic marshals.

Nairobi County Governor Dr Evans Kidero says that traffic marshals who are currently undergoing training will graduate before the end of February.

“We want the police officers currently manning our roads to do their primary function-fighting insecurity,” Kidero said when making the announcement.

The marshals will deployed to intersections to monitor adherence to the digitized traffic lights.

They have powers to arrest motorists jumping traffic lights amongst other traffic offences.

The marshals were trained at a cost of Sh86 million, paid for by the World Bank.

Currently, only a small number of marshals have been deployed and have been assisting traffic police in directing traffic on select roads in the city.

Kidero also said that the cost of repairing traffic cameras vandalized by the students of Nairobi University when they went on rampage in December last year will be met by the institution.

“They (University of Nairobi) will have to give us sh5 million for the repairs,” he said

He also said that some city roads will be converted into one-way traffic lanes though he did not specify which roads/streets have been earmarked for this conversion.