Gov’t to Allow Matatus Back on Nairobi Expressway

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen says Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) will soon be allowed back on the Nairobi Expressway.

Murkomen told MPs that plans are underway to clear matatus to use the Sh88 billion highway after a review of the ban that was imposed 10 months ago following a number of accidents.

“They were denied an opportunity because of the accident but now we are reviewing that ban. The request is at my desk and we are looking at it,” Murkomen said.

Former Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia banned matatus carrying more than seven passengers from using the 27-kilometer road in July last year after fatal accidents involving PSVs that were linked to careless driving and overspeeding.

On Wednesday, CS Murkomen also revealed plans to build an exit from the expressway into the Central Business District (CBD). The exit at the new Green Park terminus will be completed in eight months.

“The approved design land has been acquired and will be communicated to the developer by the end of this month,” Murkomen said.

Murkomen noted that a total of 12,491,402 vehicles have used the expressway since its opening in May last year. In the period between January and March this year, the CS said a total of 4,112,357 vehicles used the expressway, translating to 45, 000 vehicles per day.

The expressway, the first major project in the country to be carried out through a Public-Private Partnership [PPP] model, runs from Mlolongo through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Nairobi CBD to the Westlands area along Waiyaki Way. 

Moja Expressway, a subsidiary of the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) which is responsible for designing, financing, and building the highway, will maintain and operate the road for 27 years to recoup its investment through toll fees.