Infrastructure
State Unveils Plan for Kiambu Road Expressway
The proposed expressway will be built on a PPP model.
The government has disclosed plans to build a new expressway on Kiambu Road in Nairobi as it seeks to alleviate traffic congestion on the busy route.
According to Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, the new expressway will be built through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model as a way of “cutting down government expenditure on road construction”.
The CS announced on Saturday during the launch of the recently built Haile Selassie Exit Plaza, part of the Nairobi Expressway, in the city centre.
“We will soon start the Kiambu Road Expressway through Public-Private Partnership since that is the best model to finance infrastructure projects currently,” Mr. Murkomen said.
Six-fold growth
The new development comes at a time when traffic volumes at the Nairobi Expressway have risen from 10,000 trips to about 65,000 trips on weekdays – a six-fold growth as motorists use the facility to escape traffic congestion.
However, it is not clear how the expressway project will be undertaken, given the existing plan to convert Kiambu Road into a dual carriageway.
In April last year, Roads Principal Secretary, Joseph Mbugua, said the government – through the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura), had entered into a deal with Chinese firm Sinohydro Corporation Limited for execution of the dualling project.
Mr. Mbugua said the project would be executed under the Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC) framework – a construction model where a contractor agrees to engineer, procure, and construct a specified structure.
RELATED: Kenya, China Ink Sh46bn Deal for Kiambu Road Project
The Kiambu Road dualling project, which passes through Muthaiga-Kiambu-Ndumberi is estimated to cost $286.1 million (Sh46.3 billion), which includes $55.26 million (Sh8.9 billion) for land acquisition and relocation of services.
The project is expected to be funded by the Kenyan government in partnership with China through the China Exim Bank.
The Ministry of Roads and Transport wrote to the National Treasury last year requesting the allocation of funds for the execution of the project’s preparatory activities.
The project remains without a defined start date, despite the State approving the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) to proceed.
(Exchange rate: 1 USD = Sh162)
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