A budget estimate provided by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has revealed that the cost of building the Nairobi Expressway will rise from Ksh65.2 billion to Ksh87.9 billion.
The construction of the 27-kilometre highway increased by Ksh7.6 billion. Its construction was to be fully financed by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the parent firm of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which is building the highway.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia in 2021 explained that the cost of constructing the expressway would increase after it emerged that it would require additional funds to complete.
According to reports, the government has spent an extra Ksh15.1 billion on the project.
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“The money was used to compensate landlords and owners of utilities that paved the way for the construction of the Nairobi Expressway,” CS Macharia told the Nation during an interview last year.
The funds enabled telecommunications firms, Kenya Power and Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) to move their infrastructure.
CS Macharia reiterated that the project is fully funded under the public-private partnership. He added that Kenyans will be charged a reasonable amount to use the road.
“We are going to make sure the payments of the toll are safeguarded so that Kenyans can afford using this road. That is why we shall charge as low as Sh110 to use it,” he said.
Motorists will be expected to pay between Ksh100 and Ksh1,550 in toll charges, depending on the size of the vehicle and the distance covered. The charges will be dollar-based to cushion the Chinese operator from exchange rate losses.
“The technology will require drivers to have a card that they will load (with) money and then use the expressway without stopping along to pay cash,” he said.
The expressway will have 27 toll booths, which the contractor has almost finished installing, CS Macharia said.
Moja Expressway, a subsidiary of CCCC, will operate the road for 27 years to recoup its investment through toll fees.
“It will almost be continuous, if you haven’t paid, it will not open. It will be a cashless system,” the CS said.
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