Judge to rule on parking fee case on Wednesday
Matatu Saccos will on Wednesday know whether they will continue paying the current parking fees.
Justice Isaac Lenaola is expected to deliver judgement in a case where the matatu saccos claimed that the proposed increment of parking fees violates the Traffic Act.
The increased fees were to be effected on November 1. The adjustment was contained in the County Finance Act, 2013 passed in October.
The judgement had been listed for December 6 but a notice on the court’s cause list indicated all rulings and judgements scheduled for that day would be read Wednesday.
The Saccos are enjoying interim orders prohibiting the county government from the increment.
The Nairobi City County Board had, after the issuance of orders, moved to court seeking to have the orders set aside but did not succeed.
The court was of the view that should the petition by the PSV Sacco’s fail, then the county Government and the board would have no reason to continue with their appeal.
Parking fees
Through lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui, the Saccos said that although the county had the power to impose parking fees, it cannot override the Traffic Act.
“This is not a demand made out of the blue, it is a requirement of the County Government Act and county Government of Nairobi should not be allowed to violate the law,” said Mr Kinyanjui, who stressed that the orders sought applied to parking fees only.
The new law, which received approval with its publication in the County Gazette and the County Budget and Appropriation Committee, had proposed to raise fees for saloon cars parked in the CBD to Sh300 and Sh200 for those parked outside the CBD.