Kenya: Nairobi Expressway in Pictures - the Do's, Don'ts And How to Access It

The Nairobi Expressway was opened on May 14, 2022.

The long-awaited Nairobi expressway - a 27.1km road from Mlolongo passing through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Nairobi's CBD to the James Gichuru junction along Waiyaki Way is finally ready for commissioning.

The over US $560m road project is the first of its kind in Kenya and is expected to reduce time spent on Mombasa road at rush hour from approximately two hours to between 15 and 20 minutes.

The Nairobi Expressway will have a four-lane and six-lane dual carriageway within the existing median of Mombasa Road, Uhuru Highway, and Waiyaki Way as well as 10 interchanges. The section between the Eastern and Southern bypasses will be a six-lane dual carriageway while the section from to the Eastern Bypass and that from the Southern Bypass to James Gichuru will be a four-lane dual carriageway.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) is urging motorists to start making arrangements to access the Nairobi Expressway once it is commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta even as a few people have been allowed to use it in a pilot program that is currently underway.

Speaking to Capital FM News, the Authority's Corporate Communications Deputy Director, Samwel Kumba stated that there are three modes of access to the Expressway that include an On-Board Unit (OBU) which has to be installed in personal vehicles at a cost.

He explained that the OBU is preloaded and when vehicles approach the toll station, the system is scanned, and motorists can drive through without stopping.

"The beauty with OBU is that it reduces the time you take at the entry and exits because as you approach, it detects and automatically opens. It is a drive through. Currently with the operating company installing the OBU, if you have Sh5,000 you install it and once the road opens you will have the amount to use as the toll charges," he said.

There will also be a cash payment option and a preloaded card option with attendants at each toll stations to assist motorists.

Motorists using the Nairobi Expressway will be required to move at a speed of 80km/hr once opened to the public.

Several activities have also been prohibited on the expressway, including U-turns, reversals, graffiti, race cars and scribbling on expressway property and setting up billboards without prior authorization.

AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.