This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
Kenya's government has taken a significant step towards introducing pay-for-use roads, with motorists facing hefty fines for defaulting on toll fees. According to the Finance Bill 2020, which took effect from July 1, 2020, drivers who fail to pay toll fees at designated stations or use the wrong route can be fined up to Sh50,000 or face a six-month jail term.
The National Assembly's Finance and National Planning Committee has amended the Public Roads Toll Act to increase the penalty from Sh5,000 to Sh50,000. The amendment aims to enhance the penalty for failure or fraudulently passing through a toll station without paying or failure to use the designated route for passage through a toll station.
Joseph Limo, chair of the committee, explained the amendment in a report on the Finance Bill, 2020: 'The amendment seeks to enhance the penalty for failure or fraudulently passing through a toll station without paying or failure to use the designated route for passage through a toll station.'
Motorists will soon be required to pay toll charges on major national roads, including the Nairobi-Nakuru, Nairobi-Mombasa, Nairobi-Thika, and Southern Bypass in Nairobi. The toll fees, based on distance and capacity of the car, will add a new layer of taxation, with motorists paying toll charges on top of the fuel levy, despite tax revenues funding the roads.
