Kenya inks Sh50 billion deal with European Commission, to build electric bus rapid lane

President William Ruto watching Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen and European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen sign the deal. [State House]

Kenya has signed an Sh50.4 billion deal with the European Commission, for the construction of an electric bus rapid lane.

According to a communication by State House, if the project is successful, the project will be the first in East Africa.

Through a tweet on its official Twitter page, the State House says the agreement was after a meeting between President William Ruto and the commission's President Ursula von der Leyen.

"The agreement was reached during a meeting between President

William Ruto and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the European Union Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium," the tweet reads in part.

"The agreement was signed by Roads & Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen and European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen,"

State House has also communicated that the two leaders also discussed other key areas of mutual interest including trade and investment, climate change adoption, health and technology.

In 2020, Chinese firm Stecol Corporation secured an Sh5.6 billion deal to start the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

BRT are special lanes for high-capacity buses which were to be used buses high-capacity buses plying the Nairobi city centre and Thika highway route.

The project was expected to support the city's rickety public commuter services and help ease traffic congestion

The Chinese firm began by demarcating sections of the Thika highway and remodelled them to accommodate support facilities such as of boarding stations and footbridges.

Its implementation has not been done to date.