The dream of a brandโnew NairobiโMombasa expressway has been stopped before it even began. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) says the mega project has failed key tests and will not move forward in its current form.
The road was meant to be massive โ stretching 459 kilometers from Mlolongo in Machakos County all the way to Bonje in Mombasa County. It was to be built under a PublicโPrivate Partnership, where a private company would finance and build the road, then make its money back by charging toll fees.
On paper, it sounded like progress. But after the documents went through the Contracting Authority and the PublicโPrivate Partnership Committee at the National Treasury, the decision was clear: the proposal did not meet the necessary criteria. That means the plan, as it is now, is dead.
KeNHA says the committee has advised the contractor to think again. Instead of building a new expressway, they should consider expanding the existing A8 highway โ the one most people already use. The contractor can then submit a fresh plan for review under Section 43(12) of the PPP Act, 2021.
This decision wipes out years of talk about a modern, highโspeed link between the capital and the coast. Back in 2022, KeNHA said the project would take no more than five years to complete once approved. The idea was to ease congestion, speed up travel, and boost trade. Now, all that is on hold.
The expressway deal had already been handed to the Korean Overseas Infrastructure and Development Corporation (KIND). That happened after US firm Bechtel Engineering walked away. Bechtel reportedly disagreed with the governmentโs preferred financing model.
That model was simple to understand but hard to swallow for many Kenyans: the builder would put up the money and then charge motorists to use the road. Drivers would have to pay toll fees for decades until the company made back its investment.
For ordinary Kenyans, toll roads often feel like paying twice โ once through taxes and again at the toll booth. And with the cost of living already high, this plan was never going to win many hearts.
The NairobiโMombasa road today is no picnic. Long queues of trucks, unpredictable delays, and dangerous overtaking maneuvers are common. The promise of a smooth, uninterrupted highway was appealing. But in reality, this project has been controversial from the start.
The governmentโs decision now leaves a big question mark over how Kenya will improve one of its most important transport routes. Expanding the existing A8 highway is a cheaper option, but it might not deliver the same time savings as a fullyโfledged expressway.
For now, motorists will keep battling the same road theyโve known for years. And as every driver between Nairobi and Mombasa can tell you, that road does not forgive impatience. If you get stuck behind a convoy of trucks, you might just have enough time to wonder what happened to that grand expressway we were promised.
Featured image via Soko directory