The Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Directorate on Monday dismissed suggestions that the recent traffic congestion experienced along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway was intentionally manipulated to justify upcoming toll road concessions.
In a statement issued through the National Treasury on Monday, September 1, the Director-General of the PPP Directorate, Eng. Kefa Seda described the claims as misleading and undermining the broader goal of improving national infrastructure.
“The suggestion that traffic congestion is manipulated to justify PPP concessions is inaccurate and misleading,” said Eng. Seda.
“PPPs in Kenya are anchored in a robust legal framework that demands rigorous technical, financial, legal, social, and environmental assessment.”
Seda emphasised that the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit Highway Project was more of a strategic plan than a reactionary one since it has long been in development and aimed at addressing challenges faced by motorists along the busy Northern Corridor.
The Director-General further stated that the project offered a permanent solution through a modern dual carriageway, new bypass service lanes and improved safety infrastructure. The completed highway is expected to ease traffic, particularly from Rironi to Malaba.
Further, the Directorate also responded to criticism that PPPs are tools for exploiting Kenyans, instead reiterating that all PPPs are procured through a transparent and competitive process regulated by strict government policies.
The statement went on, “Where user charges are introduced, they are not arbitrary.” Adding, "They are carefully evaluated, government-regulated, and benchmarked against affordability.”
“Mischaracterising PPPs as profiteering schemes ignores the safeguards in place and undermines a framework that has been internationally recognised as critical for accelerating infrastructure delivery in developing economies.''
The statement came in the wake of explosive allegations from stakeholders, including the Motorists Association of Kenya, who recently launched a petition to stop the construction of the highway.
According to the motorists, the decision by President William Ruto's administration to build the highway through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and later toll it was unfair.
They argued that the move to introduce tolling along the route shifts the burden of infrastructure financing to ordinary citizens, a mandate that they claim belongs to the government.
In their statement, the Motorists Association also opposed the construction of the Nairobi-Mombasa expressway through PPP. According to them, Ksh5,000 as toll fees for motorists using the new expressway would be overwhelming.
