The Motorists Association of Kenya has dismissed claims that it rejected the construction of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway, which links Nairobi and Nakuru counties.
According to the motorists, what they rejected was the government's plan to introduce a toll fee along the 175-kilometre stretch, terming it a double taxation.
In a statement on Sunday, November 30, the motorists termed the claims of rejecting the highway's construction as baseless, noting that such misinformation was aimed at distorting their initial demands for the removal of the toll fees.
"We fully support the long-delayed expansion of the A8 highway. This has never been in dispute. In fact, the Motorists Association of Kenya have pushed for its upgrade for more than twenty years," the motorists said.
They added, "We oppose double taxation, unlawful tolling, and the creeping transformation of Kenya’s public roads into lifetime revenue streams for private concessionaires.'
The association further maintained that the introduction of toll fees was unlawful since the government is already charging motorists a fuel levy.
While taking a swipe at President William Ruto's regime, they demanded that the government either revoke the toll charges or remove the fuel levy since the existence of both amounts to double taxation.
The motorists also contested the government's decision to construct the toll road on the existing Nairobi-Nakuru highway, insisting that the existing road should not be interfered with, as it should act as an alternative route.
"A toll road must be constructed on newly acquired private land and must leave the existing public highway as a free alternative route," the motorists claimed.
"The Nairobi Expressway followed the law by being elevated, leaving the lower deck free. The SGR was constructed on new land while the meter-gauge railway remained open," they added.
In their statement, the motorists also described the toll charges as discriminatory, questioning why only the Rironi-Mau Summit highway was being tolled despite the existence of similar highways in other parts of the country.
According to them, the tolling of the Ksh170 billion highway would greatly inconvenience people from Western Kenya and the Lake Victoria region, who mainly depend on the highway to reach Nairobi and travel back home.
