The Motorist Association of Kenya is urging the government to immediately halt the expansion of the Nairobi-Nakuru highway and the planned construction of the Nairobi-Mombasa expressway.
The association raised the alarm on Tuesday, July 29, saying these projects—being carried out under Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)—lack transparency and could end up benefiting political elites instead of ordinary citizens.
According to the association, these road projects seem like a well-coordinated plan by powerful individuals and multinational corporations to make huge profits at the expense of Kenyan taxpayers.
They claim that vital information about these developments has been deliberately hidden from the public eye, making it difficult for citizens to understand who truly benefits from the deals.
One of the major concerns raised by the association is the tolling system set to be used on the Nairobi-Mombasa expressway. They revealed that motorists might be charged between Ksh5,000 to Ksh7,000 for a one-way trip—a fee they say is unaffordable for most ordinary drivers.
They warned that similar PPP deals are already being promoted for other roads, including the Rironi-Mau Summit and Nairobi-Mombasa highways.
“We’ve repeatedly warned about the lack of openness in PPP agreements. It now appears these same secretive deals are creeping into other highway projects.
Foreign companies and local influential figures are scrambling for profits, while everyday Kenyans are left in the dark,” the association stated.
They also claimed that such arrangements will allow private companies to collect toll fees for the next 30 years, enriching themselves from public infrastructure.
Their concerns were reinforced by a recent investigation published by Nation Media Group, which exposed the involvement of the Kenyatta family in the Nairobi Expressway project.
According to court records cited in the exposé, the family allegedly supplied sand and land for the project, possibly earning between Ksh1.8 billion and Ksh2.8 billion in return.
Referring to the article titled “Tax Row Exposes Kenyatta Family Expressway Deal”, the motorists argued that the Nairobi Expressway itself was a carefully designed plan by a few powerful politicians to siphon public money for personal gain.
They further criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the ownership of the expressway, which was built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). “To this day, no one clearly knows who owns the Nairobi Expressway. That lack of clarity should worry every Kenyan,” the association emphasized.
To prevent such misuse of public infrastructure projects, the Motorist Association is proposing that major roads be funded through more transparent means—such as public taxes, government loans, or infrastructure bonds.
They argue that although these options may appear more expensive upfront, they are ultimately more accountable, fair, and sustainable for the long-term benefit of all Kenyans.
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