This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
July 31, 2019, marked a challenging day for commuters in Nairobi as National Youth Service (NYS) commuter buses, which were introduced to offer affordable transportation at a flat rate of Sh20, were grounded due to cash woes.
According to Auditor-General Edward Ouko, only nine out of 27 buses deployed to serve Nairobi city routes were operational, while the rest had broken down.
The subsidised transport plan, known as the Okoa Abiria programme, was launched in March 2018 with the aim of providing affordable transportation to vulnerable members of society.
However, the programme lacked a budget allocation for maintenance and operation costs of the buses, and no funds had been received for the subsidised service.
“Under the circumstances, the sustainability of the Okoa Abiria Programme is highly uncertain,” Mr Ouko said in a qualified audit report.
The NYS had covered nine routes and deployed 27 of its 29 buses to ferry passengers at a cost of Sh20 irrespective of destination.
Despite the challenges, the NYS had received a Sh500 million allocation in April last year to acquire more commuter buses to beef up its fleet.
