NAIROBI — Motorists using the upcoming 440-kilometer Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway will pay between Sh12 and Sh13 per kilometer, significantly less than the Sh18.5 per kilometer charged on the existing Nairobi Expressway, officials revealed yesterday.
The announcement came during the release of the project’s feasibility study in Nairobi, where Usahihi Expressway Limited Chairman Kyle McCarter, a former US ambassador to Kenya, shared details about the toll structure for the ambitious Sh464.9 billion ($3.6 billion) highway project.
“The toll charges will be in the neighborhood of Sh12 to Sh13 a kilometer,” McCarter said, emphasizing that these rates could potentially decrease further as the company works to reduce construction costs and capital expenses. “The more we save, the more that toll rate goes down.”
At the current projected rate, motorists traveling the entire route would pay approximately Sh5,280 for the journey.
Unlike the Nairobi Expressway, which charges different rates based on vehicle class, this base toll will apply to all vehicles regardless of size.
The expressway, being developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, is expected to reduce travel time between Nairobi and Mombasa from the current eight-plus hours to just 4.5 hours. The road will feature seven toll stations and will include modern amenities such as charging stations for electric vehicles.
McCarter revealed that land acquisition represents a significant project component, with approximately Sh12.9 billion ($100 million) earmarked for compensating landowners. “The Kenyan government is not providing us with land for this road. Usahihi is actually purchasing the land,” he explained.
The US-backed consortium hopes to receive approvals from the Treasury’s PPP unit within the next two months and achieve financial closure by the end of the year. This timeline would position the project for groundbreaking in early 2026.
A critical funding milestone was reached in February when Usahihi signed an agreement to raise Sh129.1 billion ($1 billion) from local pension funds. CPF Capital and Advisory has been appointed to mobilize this domestic funding by the end of 2025.
Under the agreement, Usahihi will operate the expressway for 30 years before transferring it to the government. The company projects that trucks, which constitute the majority of traffic on the route, will generate approximately 75 percent of the toll road’s revenue.
The Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway represents one of Kenya’s most ambitious infrastructure projects to date, aiming to significantly improve connectivity between the country’s capital and its primary seaport.
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*Editor’s note: This article was written based on information published in Business Daily on May 5, 2025.*
