On May 31, 2022, the Nairobi Expressway was opened to the public for trials, but it has been plagued by issues since its inception.
According to Transport Principal Secretary Paul Mwangi Maringa, motorists are refusing to pay toll charges at the exit points, citing a lack of cash or insufficient funds.
“Cash payments take 45 seconds minimum and at the exits, people claim they don’t have money or enough money,” Maringa said.
The Nairobi Expressway, a 27-kilometer road, charges motorists between Ksh115 and Ksh1,550 depending on the distance covered or the size of the vehicle.
Motorists have three payment options: electronic toll collection, manual toll collection, and cash. However, mobile money transfer payments are yet to be approved by China Road and Bridge Corporation, the company that designed and built the expressway.
Maringa reminded motorists that those who do not want to pay have the option of using old roads.
Only ambulances, police, and military vehicles are exempted from payment, while pedestrians, motorcycles, tuktuks, skaters, bicycles, wheelbarrows, and handcarts are prohibited from using the dual carriage way.
