The Cold War Continues As Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko Sues Evans Kidero Over Roundabouts

Piece by: Caren Nyota
Exclusives

Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko has moved to court to challenge the decision by the Governor Evans Kidero to reconfigure county urban roads with large roundabouts.

In his urgent application, Sonko told the court that the restructuring of roads leading to the city center that have since affected Uhuru highway, Bunyala Road, Westlands and Langata roads is unlawful.

Sonko accused, the Nairobi County government, transport CS of failing to provide alternative routes of diversion of equal service construction similar to the crossed roads.

He said failure to provide alternative roads to easy the traffic jam that has hit Nairobi motorist since Monday last week is unlawful meant to punish Nairobians and has violated the law that has posed grave and mortal danger to motorist who use the affected roads.

"The action by the respondents is unlawful by altering the structure of the affected roads without the necessary roads engineering structural maps necessary to execute such a task is unconstitutional," he said.

Justice Mumbi certified the case as urgent and directed the senator to serve the County, CS and Kenya national highway, Kenya Roads Board, Kenya Urban Roads Authority and the Attorney General whom he has named as respondent.

Sonko seeks order to quash the decision of the respondents, to prohibit them from configuring the roads, and they be compelled to restore the road structure to original position. The matter will be heard on Thursday this week.

Kidero has since responded by tweeting that the roundabouts will be removed and replaced by "signalized junctions." The process, as per the tweet, will start in ten days.