The government plans to toll more roads as a way of raising revenue for road maintainance, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said on Friday.
“The template is already there with what we did with the expressway. I believe we can toll the road from Athi River to Namanga, I believe that it is possible to toll the road from Galleria to Karen and Kiambu road,” CS Murkomen said during the launch of the strategic plan by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) .
“Properly delivered tolled roads will save Kenyans time and fuel. A healthier society can be nurtured by building quality infrastructure, and we shall be innovative in delivering this,” he added later in a post on X. .
While on the 2022 campaign trail, William Ruto, then deputy president and a presidential candidate, had promised to slash toll prices but the cash crunch for major projects has forced an about turn.
- •On Jan 1, the government hiked Nairobi expressway tolls by 30% in all stations, citing the depreciation of the Kenya Shilling.
- •The government plans to scale the public-private partnerships model that its predecessor used for the expressway.
- • The proposal is likely to be unpopular, as road maintenance is catered for by the fuel levy incurred by all road users.