This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
Reports have emerged that the construction of the Nairobi-Mombasa expressway has been delayed due to the alleged inflation of its cost by 66.7 percent.
According to The Star, the initial cost of the project was estimated at $1.8 billion (approximately Sh185.7 billion), but it was later inflated to $3 billion (Sh309.5 billion), prompting the US government to withhold funding.
The project, which was initially set to commence in January 2019, has been pushed back several times, with the latest commencement date set for June 2019. However, works have yet to begin.
Kenya and Bechtel International signed the contract for the construction of the road on August 5th, 2017.
Speaking on the matter, American Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter stated that the US government was still working on financing the project, citing concerns over Kenya's debt burden and the need to ensure that the project provides value for money to Kenyans.
“We are still working on finance. Kenya has a challenge of debt and we are wary of burdening Kenyans. At a cost half the price of rail and roads previously built, the highway will be built in segments, leveraging private investors to minimize government debt,” said McCarter.
When contacted for comment, Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia responded, “How can we talk about figures for a non-existent transaction?”
The project, which was declared viable following a feasibility study carried out by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2015, aims to reduce travel time between Mombasa and Nairobi from 10 to four hours, allowing for uninterrupted speeds of up to 120 km per hour.
