New details have emerged over additional charges in the ongoing construction of the Nairobi Expressway.
In a revelation made in estimates of the supplementary budget tabled before Parliament on Tuesday, February 10, Kenyan taxpayers will fork out Ksh2.1 billion to relocate water and sewerage lines along the multi-billion project.
The amount is among the hidden costs for the construction of the double-decker highway and will be spent on the Northern Collector line that will be supplying water to Nairobi.
The charge will also cater for the James Gichuru Express Road sections.
Transport CS James Macharia earlier revealed that the construction of the Ksh65 billion highway was 15 percent complete. He added that the project, which was to be initially completed in December 2022, would be ready a year earlier in December 2021.
The expressway has incurred additional costs with the new road design.
In September 2020, Kenya Power revealed that the cost of relocating power lines along Mlolongo, Mombasa, and James Gichuru Roads to pave the way for construction of the 27.1 kilometre-long Nairobi Expressway hit KSh1.08 billion.
"The scope of work will involve the relocation of a combined 106 kilometres of high voltage (66kV), medium voltage (11kV), and low voltage cables as well as 28 transformers serving the area," Kenya Power’s Managing Director & CEO, Bernard Ngugi stated at the time.
Once completed, 40.6 kilometers of the power network will pass underground.
The construction works have also affected some footbridges along the line, for example, the GM footbridge will be demolished to pave way for the road, with the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) expected to provide alternative means for pedestrians to cross the road.
The agency's Director-General Engineer Peter Mundinia revealed that new bridges would be constructed to replace the existing ones. He, however, noted that the South C footbridge would be spared.
The Nairobi Expressway involves a four-lane and six-lane dual carriageway within the existing median of Mombasa Road/Uhuru Highway/Waiyaki Way and 10 interchanges.
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