List of Transport Means Not Allowed on Expressway

Preliminary works on Nairobi Expressway
Preliminary works on Nairobi Expressway.
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Nairobi Expressway

With a month to the official commissioning of the Nairobi Expressway that is set for June, the contractor has released a list of means of transport that will not be allowed on the multi-billion project.

Two and three-wheeled vehicles will not be allowed on the newly constructed Expressway that runs from Mlolongo in Machakos County to Westlands in Nairobi.

According to a Gazette Notice dated December 31, 2020, motorcycles, tuk tuks, wheelbarrows, handcarts, bicycles and scooters will not be allowed to access the expressway.

Pedestrians and skaters will also not be allowed on the road.

Aerial view of Nairobi Expressway running from Mlolongo to Westlands
Aerial view of Nairobi Expressway running from Mlolongo to Westlands
KeNHA

The decision follows the need for safety bearing in mind that the vehicles using the Expressway will be moving at very high speeds compared to other roads.

The four-lane dual carriageway has a speed limit of 80km per hour and toll charges will be dollar-based where payment is made through a special toll card.

According to Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia, motorists will be expected to pay between Ksh100 and Ksh1,550 in toll charges depending on the size of the vehicle and distance covered.

The Expressway has 11 interchanges at Mlolongo, Standard Gauge Railway, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Eastern Bypass, Southern Bypass, Capital Centre, Haile Selassie Avenue, Museum Hill, Westlands and James Gichuru Road.

Kenyans are highly anticipating the commissioning of the expressway.

Recently, videos of motorists driving on parts of the road went viral on social media with users claiming that the road was opened for trial ahead of its commissioning by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), however, on March 22, swooped in to clarify that the road is not yet open to traffic.

“As the contractor nears completion and in preparation for the eventual opening of the road to the public, there will be guided trials to test the operations of the system that has been installed,” said KeNHA on their official Facebook page.

“Being a key road that is expected to decongest the city, the Authority shall inform the public in advance, but at an appropriate time, on arrangements to open the road to the public.”

According to a communications representative at KeNHA, Sam Kumba, the motorists seen in the video that circulated online were only contractors clearing the site.

The road is expected to be opened for use by early April and President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to commission it.

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An undated image of the Nairobi Expressway passing above Waiyaki Way in Westlands, Nairobi
Kenyans.co.ke