Senator Edwin Sifuna has joined a majority of Kenyans in opposing the proposal by Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to toll Thika Road.
In a statement on Tuesday, August 13, the Nairobi Senator questioned why KeNHA would start collecting fees for a road that has already been built with taxpayers' money.
Sifuna promised to invite the KeNHA team to the Senate to explain the proposal and its reasoning.
"I don’t know how KeNHA justifies the proposal to start tolling roads built by taxpayer money years ago. Build new toll roads mchukue pesa but you can’t start charging us for using Thika road," said Sifuna.
In a statement on Tuesday, KeNHA said there is an ongoing discussion on the development of a Road Tolling Policy.
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According to the authority, the policy will be developed with extensive public participation to ensure all ideas from members of the public are heard.
“The Kenya National Highways Authority appreciates the ongoing discussion around the development of a Road Tolling Policy. The Authority assures the public that this Policy will be developed with extensive public participation to ensure that all voices are heard. Once the Policy is finalized, it will guide which roads will be tolled,” read the statement in part.
Some of the highways that are being considered for tolling include the Nairobi Southern Bypass, Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Highway, Thika Superhighway, Kenol-Sagana-Marua Road, Mombasa Southern Bypass and Dongo Kundu Bypass.
In January, former Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen said the government was also planning to charge road users for the use of commonly used roads.
