KeNHA, US company sign deal to build Sh471 billion Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has inked a Sh471 billion (USD3.6 billion) deal with a US company, Everstrong Capital LLC, to build an expressway linking Nairobi and Mombasa cities. 

Named Usahihi, the Nairobi-Mombasa expressway is set to be one of Africa’s biggest toll roads with four to six lanes after its completion in nearly three to four years.

Everstrong Capital LLC announced the developments on Thursday, stating that the highway will be about 440 km (273 miles) long. 

Funds to build the highway will be sourced from international investors, development agencies, pension funds and Kenyan private investors, according to the US infrastructure investment company. 

Reports indicate that the project is among several others set to be announced during President William Ruto’s State Visit to the US. 

“The Usahihi Expressway is the largest toll road project in Africa and envisions a transformative symbol of Kenya’s dedication to transparent and innovative infrastructure development, serving as a testament to the strengthened partnership between the United States and Kenya.

“Usahihi will pay for itself, not burdening the government of Kenya. It is structured as a public private partnership (PPP), with revenue coming from road users. Usahihi will organise finance, construction, tolling, operation, and maintenance of the expressway under a 30-year concession with construction lasting 3–4 years,” a press release accessed by the Eastleigh Voice stated.

Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen during the launch of the Nairobi Expressway at the Haile Selassie Exit Plaza in January 2024. (Photo: Kipchumba Murkomen)

According to Everstrong, which has a branch in Nairobi, Kenya, the expressway will accommodate the safe passage of trucks, buses, and automobiles, featuring rest stops, wildlife observation points, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure powered by renewable energy sources.

It will also comprise strategically located overpasses designed by environmental experts based on animal migration patterns to facilitate safe wildlife migration.

“More than just a road, the Usahihi Expressway sets a standard for transparent, sustainable, and community-centred development, fostering economic growth and environmental protection, and serving as a global inspiration for ethical development.”

“It embodies a commitment to transparency, hard work, and the empowerment of Kenyan citizens by engaging them as users, owners, and investors, creating a cycle of localised benefits, and ensuring that communities directly reap the rewards of their investment and participation,” the company added. 

Earlier in the year, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced plans to toll the highway similar to the 27.1-kilometre Nairobi Expressway which starts from Mlolongo, passes through JKIA and Nairobi's CBD to the James Gichuru junction along Waiyaki Way.

However, Murkomen has yet to release the actual amount that will be charged along the highway. 

Concrete projections for the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway began around 2018, with Korean Overseas Infrastructure and Development Corporation (KIND) and American firm Bechtel Executive in partnership with US Capital Investment Company Everstrong Capital among the companies touted to be contracted for its construction.

The project was then projected to cost around Sh300 billion. The government settled on Betchel to construct the expressway but reports allege that the two parties fell out after disagreeing on how the project's construction would be financed.

Reports further claimed that the company rejected the government's offer to construct the highway and recover its expenditure from toll fees, contrary to its proposal to have the government fully fund it.

In 2023, the project was once again revived, with the Treasury revealing that it had received first-stage approval for the construction of the highway under a public-private partnership model, opening the way for it to progress to the development phase.

US President Joe Biden receives his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto at the White House on May 22, 2024. (Photo: PCS)