The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has settled on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway as one of the key development projects earmarked for the next five years.
In its draft strategic plan covering 2023-2027, it was revealed that the project will be undertaken through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to the tune of Ksh25 billion.
KeNHA detailed that the first phase of the project set to cost Ksh10 million, will begin during the 2026-2027 Financial Year.
The second phase of the project will be undertaken in the succeeding financial year to the tune of Ksh15 billion.
Earlier, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen revealed that the highway will be tolled to reduce pressure on the use of the exchequer for infrastructural projects. He added that the road would be economically viable as the users would cut down on expenditures.
"That is the global way of doing it. You may pay that extra Ksh1,000 that you would have used on fuel when there is a jam. You will probably save Ksh3,000 in fuel costs because you will get to Nairobi much faster," he explained while appearing in an interview at a local radio station in Mombasa in November 2024.
Nonetheless, KeNHA and CS Murkomen have yet to share the exact fees that will be charged at the toll stations. The exact locations of the toll station also remain unknown.
While the contractor was not revealed, Korean and American firms were said to have expressed interest in working on the major infrastructure.
On the other hand, KeNHA renewed plans to undertake the dualling of the Mau Summit-Malaba Highway at Ksh12.5 billion in the 2027/2028 financial year. The project will also be undertaken under the PPP model.
Upgrade of the Rironi-Nakuru-Mau Summit road on the other end will commence in the 2025/2026 financial year at Ksh35 billion.
However, it is still unknown whether the road linking Kenya and Uganda will be tolled. The highway is mostly used by trucks ferrying goods from the port of Mombasa to countries within the East Africa Community (EAC).
The Ministry of Transport projected that the highway, upon completion, will reduce traffic snarl-ups witnessed during the festivities.
