This archive report was first published on 13 June 2020.
Kenya's National Treasury Cabinet Secretary, Ukur Yatani, has announced plans to amend the Public Roads Toll Act to enable private sector players to collect road tolls on roads constructed and managed under Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreements.
According to Yatani, the government aims to make the country attractive to investors by allowing them to finance, construct, and operate roads. This move could see motorists pay between Sh6 and Sh30 per kilometre, depending on the size of their vehicle, to use roads such as the Nairobi Southern Bypass and Thika Road.
Analysts have noted that this could be an attempt to make the country attractive for investors, who may be looking for opportunities to finance, construct, and operate roads. However, the move has been met with protests from Kenyans, who are concerned about the increased costs of using roads.
Currently, Kenyans pay the Road Maintenance Fuel Levy, which is attached to fuel prices and is the reason the cost of petroleum remains high. The levy stands at Sh18 per litre of super petrol and diesel.
Yatani's proposal is part of the government's efforts to establish a National Toll Fund, which will receive all the money collected at toll stations on certain roads. The fund will partly help the government in meeting financial obligations under the PPP contract arrangements.
Already, the government has earmarked several roads for tolling, including the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway, the second Nyali Bridge, and the Nairobi Mau Summit Road. The JKIA-Westlands Expressway, whose construction President Uhuru Kenyatta broke ground for in October, is also expected to be subject to tolling.
