Nairobi county is proposing to crack down on vehicles that emit excessive exhaust fumes and to also improve the infrastructure for electric vehicles.
The pursuit of greener mobility in Nairobi is laudable although some critics claim that it is over-ambitious.
Nairobi is not planning to ban all fossil fuel vehicles, only those that have excessive emissions. We have all seen matatus and lorries belching out black smoke. Inhaling particulate matter from exhaust fumes is very dangerous and causes cancer and respiratory diseases.
It is right to take highly polluting vehicles off the roads, especially as it is already illegal to emit black exhaust fumes. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja should work with the police to implement this crackdown.
Sakaja can also consider an Ultra Low Emission Zone such as London's where vehicles that are not fuel-efficient pay a tax to enter the city. Nairobi already has vehicle recognition software that could easily link to the NTSA database.
We should not think that it is normal to have clouds of black smoke behind old vehicles. It is dangerous and needs to be stopped. Sakaja is doing the right thing, even if it is not popular in some quarters.
Quote of the day: "Don't send me flowers when I'm dead. If you like me, send them while I'm alive."
Brian Clough
The English football manager died on September 20, 2004