KeNHA to Build Nairobi's First Median Bus Bay in Westlands

Westlands is about to get a first for Nairobi: a bus stop built in the middle of the road instead of along its edge. The Kenya National Highways Authority has confirmed plans for a centrally aligned median bus bay along the James Gichuru Road Junction to JKIA highway (the A8/B10), part of the same corridor upgrade that's already brought roadworks and closures to Westlands this year.

What's Actually Changing

Conventional bus stops in Nairobi sit at the roadside, where matatus and buses pull into the outer lane to pick up and drop off passengers, a design that reliably slows traffic every time a vehicle merges in or out. KeNHA's new facility flips that model entirely: buses and matatus will stop in the center of the carriageway instead, in a dedicated median lane separated from general traffic. Passengers will reach the station via footbridges and controlled pedestrian crossings rather than stepping directly into moving traffic from the roadside.

KeNHA says the design is intended to reduce conflicts between public service vehicles and cars turning into adjacent properties, keep general traffic moving more smoothly, and improve safety for pedestrians and other non-motorised road users along one of the city's busiest corridors.

Matatus Have to Move First

Before construction can begin, KeNHA needs to relocate the matatus currently operating along this stretch of Westlands. The authority, represented by Corridor A Director Eng. Denis Odeck, has been in direct consultation with the Westlands Matatu Owners Association to work out exactly how that relocation happens. The Parklands Base Commander, Chief Inspector of Police Ann Kinya, has also been involved in the discussions, underlining that this is as much a traffic and public-order coordination exercise as it is a construction project.

Several practical details are still being finalized through these consultations, including how long matatus will be allowed to pause at the new station for passenger pick-up and drop-off, where designated U-turn points will sit along the corridor, and the placement of public washrooms and footbridges connecting commuters to the new facility.

Part of a Bigger Corridor Overhaul

This bus bay isn't a standalone project. It sits inside the wider capacity enhancement, landscaping, and beautification programme already underway along the A8/B10 corridor, the same broader initiative behind the recent partial closures on Waiyaki Way and the ongoing footbridge construction near Westlands Roundabout. Taken together, the picture for Westlands commuters over the coming months is a corridor being rebuilt in stages: road surface and drainage work, new pedestrian footbridges, and now a fundamentally redesigned public transport stop, all happening within the same few kilometers of road.

What This Means Going Forward

For regular matatu users in Westlands, the near-term change will be where and how you board. Once complete, pick-up and drop-off will happen from a dedicated median station rather than the current roadside stops, accessed via footbridge rather than a direct street crossing. KeNHA has framed the project as a long-term efficiency and safety upgrade for the corridor rather than a quick fix, consistent with the pace and scale of the other roadworks already reshaping this stretch of Westlands through 2026.

No firm construction start date or completion timeline has been announced publicly yet, since the relocation of existing matatu operations is still being finalized with operators. As with the corridor's other ongoing works, commuters should expect updates and possible traffic management changes to be communicated as construction approaches.