The National Youth Services (NYS) has received a major boost in its services aimed at providing low passenger fares for commuters along the nine routes in Nairobi after being allocated KSh 500 million funds by the Budget and Appropriations committee.
The funds will be utilized in purchasing of more buses aimed at boosting the initiative of ' Operation Okoa Abiria ' which is currently using 26 NYS buses.
"The National Youth Service has been allocated Sh500 million to acquire more buses under the initiative of ' Operation Okoa Abiria '," the committee report read in part.
In the report that was unanimously adopted in Parliament, Mr Kimani Ichung'wa, Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations committee, however, indicated that the operations of these buses were not clear on whether it was on commercial operations or were just providing community services.
“The Treasury also noted that the objectives of the project are unclear, whether the buses are commercial or just providing community service and indeed whether the function is a national government function or a county government function as per the Constitution,” Mr Ichung’wa said.
The buses which were introduced to curb the highly fluctuated prices currently ferries at least 6,400 passengers on official working days with a relatively low price of Ksh 20 in all routes that operate in.
They currently operate on the following routes; Pipeline in Embakasi, Githurai, Mwiki, Dandora, Kariobangi, Kibera, Kawangware, Kangemi and Kayole.