This archive report was first published on 25 October 2019.
On October 25, 2019, the United States Embassy in Nairobi clarified the US government's stance on the proposed Sh300 billion Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway.
Responding to media reports claiming that the US had stopped the project, the embassy stated that Ambassador Kyle McCarter was misquoted about his country's position on the multi-billion-shilling highway.
According to the embassy, the correct position is that the US government still supports the project, which will be undertaken under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Earlier, in an interview with Daily Nation, Ambassador McCarter expressed concerns over Kenya's ballooning public debt, which recently crossed the Sh6 trillion mark (63 percent of the GDP).
“Kenya has hit a debt ceiling… the onus is on Kenya to put its debt in order. We don’t want to put the debt on Kenyans. We want to do business in a transparent and ethical way,” said McCarter.
McCarter also emphasized the importance of the project, stating that it will be a signature project with a lower cost and better road conditions, even for security purposes.
