Meet the man behind Nakuru's ingenious bicycle park
Partick Mbugua arranges bicycles in his bicycle park on Oginga Odinga Street.
Walking down Oginga Odinga Street, you could be forgiven for thinking that the area is a market for second-hand bicycles. But this is not the case.
Cyclists have been using the place to park their bikes while they go to various businesses in the CBD.
This is thanks to Nakuru businessman Patrick Mbugua, who came to the rescue of hundreds of cyclists who were mostly stranded looking for a safe place to park their bikes when they reached their destinations.
Partick Mbugua arranges bicycles in his bicycle park on Oginga Odinga Street.
The idea, he says, came to him by chance. He used to run a roadside sweet shop along Oginga Odinga Street before realising the potential of a bike park.
From his shop, he would watch over the bikes for free that people left there.
"At first, there was a group of men who would leave their bikes with me every Thursday. Over time, they started giving me Sh5 as a token of appreciation for looking after their bikes and ensuring that they remained in good condition," he says, explaining how this small act of kindness turned into a lucrative business for him.
From then on, Mr Mbugua says he started getting more customers through referrals. Soon he was looking after bikes every day, not just on Thursdays.
Bicycles systematically arranged in Mbugua's car park along Oginga Odinga Street on February 20, 2025.
This prompted him to look for ways to accommodate more bikes while running his business.
"I went to my friend who worked at the ACK church and borrowed an iron bar where people could lock their bikes when they brought them in. This made the men whose bikes I was initially looking after very happy. It was then that I introduced a compulsory Sh5 fee for all bicycles I guarded," he says.
His business became even more profitable after former Nakuru governor Kinuthia Mbugua issued an order to move all bicycle parking away from the Central Business District (CBD), a move he says had a positive impact on his business.
"It was in 2012 when the former governor issued an executive order to move all bicycle parking outside the CBD. This brought a lot of traffic to my shop, I could get up to 40 bicycles a day. So I increased my fee to Sh10 per bike. At the moment, I get between 30 and 40 bicycles and 10 motorbikes a day," he says.
Currently, Mr Mbugua not only provides parking for bicycles, but also for wheelbarrows, trolleys and motorbikes for traders in the city centre, charging Sh20 and Sh30 respectively.
Zackary Obuocha, at his workplace selling sugar cane, parks his wheelbarrow in Mbugua's car park along Oginga Odinga Street for Sh20.
Zackary Obuocha, a customer at Mbugua's parking facility, says he is happy to have a safe place to leave his wheelbarrow at the end of the day.
"I sell sugar cane and avocados from my wheelbarrow and the parking lot saves me the hassle of taking it home every day. For Sh20, I can park my wheelbarrow and any goods I haven't sold, and find them intact the next day," he says.
Newton Lanoguo uses his bicycle for business, transporting customers around Nakuru. For him, cycling is a climate-friendly move that more people should consider.
Newton Lanoguo, a boda boda rider, parks his bike in Mbugua's bicycle park on Oginga Odinga Street.
"I am happy to be among those making a positive contribution to climate change mitigation. The fact that we have a safe place to park has encouraged many Nakuru residents to cycle," he says, describing Mbugua as a businessman who is leading many towards environmental conservation and positive climate action.
Despite running a lucrative business, Mbugua says the venture is not without its challenges.
"Space is my biggest challenge. I get so many customers that sometimes it is difficult to accommodate them due to limited space. One day, I would like to open another branch because I know the business has the potential to grow as many people are advocating for cycling as a means of transport. It is good for physical fitness and zero carbon emissions," he says.