Relief for Nairobi motorists as much anticipated expressway opens to public

Kenya's much anticipated Nairobi Expressway is finally open for public use. Speaking on Saturday during the commissioning of the expressway, James Macharia, the country's transport cabinet secretary, said the new road, built by a Chinese company, is expected to greatly reduce traffic in the capital city.

The expressway runs over 27 kilometers, linking Mlolongo town in Machakos county and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway. It has 11 interchanges and is expected to be used by 120,000 motorists a day when in full use.

"It is one of the best pieces of infrastructure ever done in Africa," Macharia said. "In fact, it's the longest expressway in Africa. We are very proud today to come to witness the start of the trial run, which will be done for about three or four weeks."

The road was financed and built by China Road and Bridge Corporation under a public-private partnership and consists of four-lane and six-lane dual carriageways.

Moja Expressway, a subsidiary of China Road and Bridge Corporation, has registered more than 11,000 vehicles to use the expressway, Macharia said. About 7,000 motorists had registered to pay tolls electronically and others opted to pay manually.

Moja Expressway had been registering more than 800 vehicles a day since publicizing the registration process recently, Macharia said.

Moja Expressway will operate the road for 27 years to recoup the investment through toll fees. The corporation responsible for designing, financing and building the expressway will maintain and operate it during the concession period.

Addressing participants during the first Nairobi City Marathon on May 8, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta said the road will be opened for the public on a trial basis before the official opening later. The trials were to help experts assess the viability of the road, he said.

A statement from the president's press office on Saturday welcomed the timely launch of the expressway, saying it is expected to significantly decongest the city's Mombasa road and reduce traffic congestion by improving travel time.

The elevated dual carriageway had created more than 6,000 direct jobs and benefited 200 subcontractors and hundreds of other local suppliers of building materials such as steel, sand, cement and ballast, it said.

Mark Marshall, one of the motorists who used the expressway on the day it was opened to the public, said it is a big relief especially for those like him who use Jomo Kenyatta International Airport regularly.

"I have previously missed a number of flights due to the traffic on Mombasa road on the way to the airport. However, I now have no more worries."

Construction of the road, which cost about $600 million, began in September 2020. Macharia thanked contractors for building the expressway in record time, having been completed a year ahead of schedule. Its impact will help the economy and have a very big effect on mobility, so it represents a new dawn for Kenya, he said.