Kenyan motorists plying Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway are staring at tough times if a toll-fee proposal by Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) gets approved by the Ministry of Transport.
In a report carried by Business Daily, KeNHA has proposed that owners of heavy trucks plying the highway will part with Ksh30 per kilometre, while their small car counterparts will pay Ksh6 for the same distance.
This translates to a total of Ksh 7,290 for the trucks and Ksh 1,458 for the small cars on a one-way charge.
On the highway, KeNHA identified four spots where the toll will be installed along the highway, including one after the Rironi interchange and another one on A8 South (along Naivasha-Mai Mahiu).
The other two will be located at the Gilgil weighbridge and at Salgaa.
In a past interview, KeNHA director-general, Peter Mundinia, had insinuated that a toll fee would also be introduced along the 18-kilometre JKIA to Westland's expressway.
On the expressway, motorists will pay between Ksh111 and Ksh557 for an individual one-way trip.
The highway starts at Mlolongo and ends in Westlands.
“Many other roads will be put on the tolling regime. The first in line and whose procurement has progressed well are Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau summit Expressway and Nairobi Expressway (JKIA to James Gichuru Road). Others will come after evaluating the success of the above two,” stated the boss.
The two highways are still under construction, funded through Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway is estimated at Ksh180 billion while JKIA-Westlands expressway will cost Ksh50 billion.
If the toll system gets implemented, Kenyan roads will rank among the most expensive to drive on, in Africa.
