KeNHA set to ease holiday traffic with partial opening of Mombasa–Malindi highway
KeNHA will partially open the Mombasa–Malindi highway between City Mall and Serena Junction before Christmas to ease festive traffic, as work continues on stalled sections delayed by land compensation.
A section of the Mombasa–Malindi highway is expected to open to motorists within the next few days as authorities prepare to ease heavy traffic during the festive rush.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) said the partial opening aims to reduce congestion on the increasingly busy corridor as holidaymakers head to the Coast.
More To Read
- Anger in Mombasa’s Mikindani as families rely on costly bowsers amid prolonged water crunch
- Coast activists issue two-week ultimatum over Mombasa-Malindi Highway delays
- Mombasa sets January deadline for tuk-tuk operators' SACCO registration
- AfDB pledges Sh2.1 billion for new civil engineering, blue economy centre at TUM
- KeNHA invites Kenyans to Friday’s launch of the Rironi–Mau Summit highway upgrade
- Man charged with schoolgirl’s murder shocks court, seeks plea deal
KeNHA officials noted that the move forms part of a broader traffic management plan developed in collaboration with the police, county transport marshals, and the authority’s own team.
Engineer Anthony Omach said the priority is to make the main carriageway operational before attention turns to the service lanes.
“Our immediate goal is to open up the primary route and then handle the service roads to allow traffic to flow more freely,” he said, adding that the stretch between City Mall and Serena Junction should be available to the public before Christmas.
Resident engineer Joseph Gichuru said the move is expected to ease pressure on alternative routes, particularly as Mombasa records a high number of arrivals in the run-up to the holidays. He said motorists will soon be able to use new bridges in Bamburi near Petrocity, Shanzu, and Serena Junction, which are nearing completion.
Untouched
While progress has been made along several sections, the first four kilometres of the project—from the Lights area to Bombolulu—remain untouched, three years after the upgrade was launched by President William Ruto.
KeNHA attributed the delay to pending land compensation cases but reported that the National Land Commission has now received the required funds.
Gichuru said the contractor plans to fully mobilise resources on the stalled section and introduce day-and-night shifts to recover lost time. He added that temporary diversions will be implemented to keep vehicles off the main work zone and allow construction to proceed uninterrupted.
Improve travel times
The Sh7.5 billion project, financed jointly by the African Development Bank, the European Union, and the Kenyan government, is expected to improve travel times, support regional trade, and strengthen the Coast’s tourism sector.
Works underway include upgrading the road into a four-lane dual carriageway, developing service roads, constructing six interchanges and six pedestrian bridges, and providing facilities for non-motorised users from Nyali Bridge to the start of Mtwapa Bridge.
A 12-kilometre drainage system is also under construction to address chronic flooding, particularly around Bombolulu. According to KeNHA, the drainage will collect runoff from the highway and nearby properties, an essential measure in a low-lying city where even moderate rainfall often leads to flooding.
Top Stories Today
