Transport CS Davis Chirchir has outlined alternative routes for motorists seeking to avoid expressway tolls.
Transport CS Davis Chirchir outlines non-toll routes and says local residents will access some expressway sections without paying.
Motorists seeking to avoid Rironi-Mau Summit tolls will have alternative routes, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has said. The options include the Mau Mau A1 and Ngong-Suswa roads for travel between Nairobi and the Rift Valley.
Speaking during an interview with Enock Sikolia, Chirchir said the government had completed several alternative roads. It also plans to strengthen others before motorists begin using the expressway.
The announcement follows a Kenya National Highways Authority commitment to identify routes for drivers who want to avoid tolls. Both the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) and the Motorists Association of Kenya had raised concerns.
Alternative routes to avoid Rironi-Mau Summit tolls
Chirchir said the government had completed the Mau Mau A1 road linking Kijabe to Mai Mahiu through the escarpment. He also identified a connection from Gilgil through Kanyariri towards Nakuru as another option for motorists.
In addition, the CS named a route through Nyandarua among the alternatives to the main highway. He said the government had finished the Ngong-Suswa road, but would undertake further work to strengthen it.
Meanwhile, Chirchir addressed concerns from residents who live along the highway and travel to nearby towns. He said the government had designed arrangements allowing residents to use certain sections without paying tolls. Their eligibility would depend on where they entered and left the road.
Proposed charges and project scope
However, Chirchir said the government expected motorists to consider the expressway because of potential time and fuel savings. Alternative roads could involve longer journeys, making the tolled highway an option despite the charges.
Under the proposed arrangement, motorists would pay Ksh8 per kilometre between Rironi and Gilgil. The Gilgil-Mau Summit section would cost Ksh8.50 per kilometre. Based on those section rates, a full 175-kilometre journey could cost approximately Ksh1,447.
Meanwhile, the Public Private Partnership Petition Committee recently dismissed COFEK’s challenge to the proposed Ksh8-per-kilometre charge. It ruled that the organisation had filed its complaint outside the seven-day statutory period.
The government is implementing the Ksh200 billion expansion through a public-private partnership. The project covers approximately 175 kilometres of the A8 road, plus 59 kilometres along the Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha A8 South corridor.
