Nairobi Expressway

The construction of the Nairobi Expressway is more than 34 percent done, according to a recent inspection report by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, James Macharia.

The Nairobi Expressway is a new 27km highway in Nairobi that will start at Mlolongo, traverse Uhuru Highway and terminate at the James Gichuru junction in Nairobi’s Westlands area.

The project, which is the first public-private partnership (PPP) road project in Kenya, was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in October 2019 and is expected to open to the public in early 2022.

The road, being constructed and funded by the China Roads and Bridge company,  is arguably the fasted constructed road in Kenya so far, with city residents marveling at the speed at which the construction is moving.

“If only how fast this private developer is moving is the same speed our government was moving in the construction of public roads, Kenya would be far,” Kevin Otieno, a Nairobian shared on Facebook.

Toll Road – Nairobi Expressway

The Nairobi expressway is set to be a toll road, which means motorists who wish to use it will have to pay.

A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private for which a toll fee is assessed for passage.

Motorists on the Nairobi Expressway will be required to pay a fee of between Sh100 and Sh1,550, depending on the size of the car and the distance traveled.

The Nairobi expressway will be a dual carriageway designed to run along the central reserve of theA8 road, starting from mlolongo all the way to James Gichuru junction. From mlolongo to nextgen the way will run at the same level above level as the existing A8 way, from there it will be elevated above the A8 all the way to the James Gichuru junction.

The Nairobi expressway will have 10 interchanges that will allow a smooth exists and entry at major points along the road.

The China Roads and Bridge company will run the Nairobi Expressway and collect all toll charges to motorists for a period of 30 years before it hands it over to the government at the end of the concession period.

According to the Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia the construction of the Nairobi Expressway is important and is a critical section of the Northern Corridor (A8 Highway), which is the main gateway for exports and imports to and from the port of Mombasa, to our landlocked neighbours of Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Eastern DC.

Once completed the new expressway is expected to carry about 85% of all cargo and commuter traffic for the highly built areas of Athi River, Mlolongo, Syokimau, Kitengela, Utawala, Embakasi, South B and South C, and the surrounding areas.

It will take motorists approximately 15 minutes from Westlands to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a commute that with the usual Nairobi traffic can take up to two hours or more.

Kenya loses Over KSH50M daily from delays and fuel wastage caused by traffic and accidents, which translates to a loss of KSH18B  annually, according to the Kenya National Highway Authority (KENHA).

The Nairobi expressway is expected to decongest the busy Mombasa road and Uhuru highway and will help reduce traffic within Nairobi from two hours during rush hours to just 20 minutes.