President William Ruto has pledged to expand the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway within one year.
President William Ruto says the government has prepared a plan to turn the 461-kilometre route into a dual carriageway.
President William Ruto has pledged to expand the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway into a dual carriageway within one year. Speaking in Mombasa, he said his administration had prepared a plan for the major road project.
Ruto urged Kenyans to remain patient as the government finalises arrangements for the expansion. He also promised to announce how his administration intends to undertake the multibillion-shilling investment.
The proposal would convert the predominantly two-lane, 461-kilometre highway into a four-lane dual carriageway. Separate carriageways would carry traffic travelling in opposite directions.
Nairobi-Mombasa Highway expansion targets congestion
The highway connects the Port of Mombasa to Nairobi and supports trade across East Africa. It also carries cargo bound for Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
However, congestion, frequent accidents and delays have troubled the route for years, particularly where heavy commercial trucks transport cargo inland. The proposed upgrade aims to ease those bottlenecks and shorten journeys along the corridor.
The expansion also seeks to improve safety and lower freight costs across Kenya and the wider region. A series of fatal crashes has heightened longstanding concerns about safety on the road.
Those incidents include a crash at Salama in Makueni County that killed 17 people. The planned dual carriageway would separate opposing traffic as part of the wider road upgrade.
Treasury pursues public-private partnership
Meanwhile, the National Treasury has been pursuing a public-private partnership arrangement for the project. Assessments cover engineering requirements, traffic volumes, environmental and social impacts, costs and financial viability.
The work forms part of efforts to establish a financing and implementation framework for the expansion. Ruto has previously advocated innovative infrastructure financing without introducing additional taxes or increasing public debt.
The commitment also fits into the government’s broader programme to expand major transport corridors. The administration is undertaking the Sh191 billion Rironi-Mau Summit project, covering approximately 210 kilometres of road.
That project includes a planned six-lane stretch between Naivasha and Nakuru. Ruto has also outlined plans to extend dual carriageways from Mau Summit towards Eldoret and Malaba.
Further plans target better road connectivity through Kericho, Bomet, Nyamira, Kisii and Kisumu. Together, the proposed upgrades would strengthen the Northern Corridor linking Mombasa’s port with landlocked countries in the region.
