Ambassador Mohamed urged Nairobi residents to avoid the area where the conference will take place (KICC) so as not to be inconvenienced/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 25 – Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed is urging Kenyans to see beyond the inconveniences international conferences cause them, and instead focus on the benefits brought about by such meetings.
Citing the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) meeting and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) which kicks off in Nairobi Friday, the CS indicated that such meetings are beneficial to boosting the country’s image as well as improving the economy.
“It is the same for every conference that I have attended. Some pain must be borne but in return there is a lot of gain and as they say, no pain no gain and so we will need to make these sacrifices,” she stated during an interview with Capital FM News.
“So what we have been trying to do is to time the conferences and the visit for weekends. So we begin on a Thursday with the events but just slowly building up the momentum to Saturday and Sunday.”
Ambassador Mohamed urged Nairobi residents to avoid the area where the conference will take place (KICC) so as not to be inconvenienced.
“For the most important events, we are hoping that most Nairobi residents will be in the other outskirts of the city may be enjoying the rest of Nairobi while the CBD area is used for the conferences and it is not a big space that is going to be used in any case,” she stated.
During the visit, the city centre will be a no go zone from midnight Thursday, as roads will be closed to facilitate movement of delegates attending the TICAD meeting.
The Nairobi traffic department directed all heavy commercial vehicles trailers and articulated vehicles, bound for Rift Valley to use the Southern Bypass to access their preferred destinations.
Kencom bus stop will be closed and commuters have been urged to use the alternative termini provided, while motorists have been advised to follow traffic signs and directions issued to them by traffic police officers
The roads affected during the period include Parliament Road, Taifa Road, Harambee Avenue and City Hall Way, with those attending the event with their vehicles urged to get accreditation at City Hall.
In the meantime, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinett has stated that adequate security measures have been put in place ahead of the Tokyo Development Conference on Development.
Boinett indicated that necessary preparations have been made for the success of the event, where a number of heads of state are expected.
He called on Kenyans to cooperate with the police, so as not to be inconvenienced during this period.
“I can guarantee you, I can assure you that just as much as we have delivered on other events of a similar magnitude, We are determined to deliver on this one as well. And you can rest assured that we are duly prepared and we are ready to receive our guests from the continent, from Japan and other parts of the world as well. You can be sure Nairobi will be secure,” he said.
The Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-VI) will be held on August 27 and 28 but movement will be restricted a day before and after.
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