Road users ask government to provide alternative toll-free routes

Eng. Joseph Mbugua Principal Secretary for the State Department of Roads with stakeholders during the Government of Kenya Draft Tolling policy validation workshop by transport stakeholders at Ole sereni hotel , Nairobi on 26th March 2025. [David Gichuru,Standard] Kenyans must not be forced to use tolled roads, transport stakeholders have said. They said the government road tolling policy should provide alternative routes as well as ensure transparency in the management of fees. These are some of the issues that emerged during the last validation workshop of the Road Toll Policy in Nairobi yesterday after public participation forums in eight regions. The views came up after a presentation of the Draft Tolling Policy by Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) Deputy Director Kefa Seda, who chairs the technical working committee on the policy. The government is seeking to source funds from private investors through public private partnerships (PPP), which include pension funds and retirement schemes, instead of relying on borrowing from bilateral and multilateral lenders. "For the government to enhance connectivity and maintain the 69 per cent of the road network, the required budget over the next 10-year planning period is Sh5.146 trillion. However, the projected available development budget is only Sh1.096 trillion," said Seda. But the Motorists Association of Kenya Chairman Peter Murima said the government should not force Kenyans to pay to use roads. "You see these are key roads, for instance Rironi-Mau Summit Road, and if we have no alternative, then we shall have issues," said Murima, who is among 750 petitioners who have gone to court to oppose the policy. "The role of the government is to build road infrastructures while that of citizens is to pay taxes to get roads built and maintained as a service. Once you pay taxes and once again you are asked to pay for the road to use, it's not right. Is the government abdicating its role to private investors?" Murima said there is no need for emergency construction of a dual carriageway and expansion of the road should be done gradually. He said if a toll road is to be constructed, it should be done on virgin land along the stretch, leaving the existing road to be upgraded by local resources from the Exchequer. Shippers Council of Eastern Africa CEO Agayo Ogambi backed the call for alternative roads to give people a choice. Ogambi called for clarity in the policy on the role of the government and private sector. "We see the aspect of government also wanting to be part of the whole process and there is no clarity in the policy on what the government and private sector is going to do differently," he said. After the forum, the technical committee will make a report and submit to the Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary, who will present it to the Cabinet as a memo. The government plans to expand the 170km Rironi-Mau Summit Road to a dual carriageway that will be tolled in a bid to ease transport from Nairobi through Nakuru to Western Kenya and beyond. This will reduce congestion that has seen travellers spend hours on the road during weekends and holidays. Already, the 27-km Nairobi Expressway is a toll road and there are plans to construct a 440-km four-lane dual carriageway linking Nairobi and Mombasa, which has bee named Usahihi Express. According to the policy, the estimated annual maintenance needs for the current road network is Sh253.5 billion, while the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund collection estimates for 2024/2025 is Sh100 billion. Further, there is a maintenance backlog estimated at Sh500 billion, besides the damages on the road network caused by rains. The levy, enacted in 1993, has increased exponentially from Sh28 billion in 2013/2014. "This increase is, however, accompanied by a growing funding gap which is anticipated to widen due to lack of regular indexation of fuel levy rates to inflation, improved vehicle-fuel efficiencies, expanding road network in need of maintenance as per RICS 2023, and the expected growth of electric vehicles," said Seda. Also, the increasing adoption of electric vehicles toward green transport to reduce carbon emission is a threat to the road maintenance levy's sustainability.

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