The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has officially revoked the construction of the Nairobi-Mombasa (Usahihi) Expressway.
The 459-kilometre mega project intended to link Mlolongo in Machakos County to Bonje in Mombasa County.
The ambitious road was set to be implemented under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, allowing a private contractor to finance the project and recover costs through toll fees. However, after a detailed evaluation by the Contracting Authority and subsequent review by the PPP Committee, National Treasury & Economic Planning, the proposal was found not to meet the required criteria.
“The proposal should be abandoned. The contractor may consider restructuring the project to focus on expanding the existing A8 highway and then resubmit for fresh determination,” KeNHA said in a statement.
Project History and Vision
The expressway, first proposed in 2022, was designed to ease traffic along the busy Nairobi–Mombasa corridor, reducing travel time from over 10 hours to just four. KeNHA had estimated a five-year construction timeline, with the project’s cost expected to run into hundreds of billions of shillings.
The project was based on a toll fee business model. This means it would source funding and then recoup its cost through toll fees.
Way Forward
The committee further directed the contractor to consider restructuring the project by expanding the existing A8 highway.
For more updates on Kenya’s infrastructure projects, visit the KeNHA official website or read about the Nairobi Expressway impact.
