Nairobi Expressway Renames Toll Stations Amid Backlash

The Nairobi East toll station of Nairobi Expressway.
The Nairobi East toll station of Nairobi Expressway.
Daily Nation

Moja Expressway, the company charged with managing the Nairobi Expressway, on Thursday, May 19, announced that it will be renaming four toll stations.

In the notice seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the company announced that the toll station at the James Gichuru junction along Waiyaki way, Nairobi West, will be named Nairobi Westlands.

The Westlands toll station after the roundabout will be named The Mall, after the adjacent shopping centre.

Nairobi Expressway project near Chiromo road interchange
Nairobi Expressway project near Chiromo Road interchange
Moja Expressway

"We wish to notify the general public that the following toll station names have been changed. The name changes will be effected at a later stage," read the notice read in part.

In addition, the tariff collection point named Mlolongo, will go by Syokimau, where it is actually located while the station dubbed Nairobi East changes to Mlolongo.

The announcement comes amid backlash from a section of Kenyans who took issue with what they termed as erroneous labelling. For instance, they argued that Nairobi West was not on Waiyaki Way but in Lang'ata and its environs.

Motorists argued that the area was Westlands and not Nairobi West. On the other side, a section of Kenyans faulted the Nairobi East labelling, noting that it was inaccurate and that Nairobi East was the Eastlands region.

Kenyans.co.ke, established that the naming o the toll stations might have been based on the mapping of Nairobi in the post-colonial region.

Placing a compass on the Nairobi province map, Westlands, James, Gichuru and Kangemi fall between the West and the North. On the other hand, Eastlands, Syokimau and Mlolongo fall in the East.

Lang'ata, South C, Karen, Ngong and its environs would lie in the South while Mathari, Muthaiga and Garden Estate are in the North.

The Nairobi Expressway was officially opened to the public on May 14, on a trial basis. This would pave way for the assessment of the flows on the roadway that may need to be improved.

Traffic snarl-up on the Museum Hill toll station on Monday revealed that the manual payment system caused more delay as it took more time, with motorists being advised to use the Electronic toll cards (ETC), which was faster.

A-notice-of-the-changing-of-the-names-of-four-toll-statations-along-the-Nairobi-Expressway.jpg
A notice of the changing of the names of four toll stations along the Nairobi Expressway.
Moja Expressway