Finding a parking spot in the CBD can be very frustrating to many motorists. Both private and public parking lots in the CBD tend to be full by 10 a.m and motorists find themselves driving for minutes or even hours searching for available parking space.

That aside, are public parking spaces cheaper than private ones?

Below is a list of the private parking lots in Nairobi and their rates:

• Loita Street Car Park – KES 250 a day
• Lexus Car Park – KES 250 a day
• Metro Parking – KES 200 a day
• Parking lots managed by Kaps Limited – Entry fee of KES 50 and an extra KES 30 per hour
• Intercontinental Hotel – KES 50 per hour
• Nakumatt Lifestyle – KES 50 per hour
• KEMU Towers – KES 50 per hour

Daily public parking/CCN rates are KES 140.

It is evident that City Council of Nairobi (CCN) daily parking rate of KES 140 is cheaper than that of Loita Street Car Park, Lexus Car Park and Metro Parking which have rates of KES 250, KES 250 and KES 200 respectively.

Intercontinental Hotel, Nakumatt Lifestyle and KEMU Towers have a standard rate of KES 50 per hour. A car parked for 8 hours would be charged KES 400:

50 X 8 = KES 400

 KES 260 more than CCN’s daily parking rate of KES 140.

400 – 140 = KES 260

Parking lots managed by Kaps Limited have an entry fee of KES 50 and an additional KES 30 charged per hour. A car parked for 8 hours would be charged KES 290

50 + (30 X 8 ) = KES 290

KES 150 more than what CCN charges.

290 – 140 = KES 150

Evidently CCN has lower parking rates than those of private parking lots.

Private parking however provides security to your car, a service not provided by CCN but motorists are advised to park at their own risk, so any liability would be at the expense of the vehicles owner. So in the long run, this additional security doesn't make much sense so it still makes it cheaper to park at the public parking lots.