This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
Published on November 1, 2019, the U.S. Government has released a statement reassuring Kenya that the Nairobi-Mombasa expressway project will not burden the country with additional debt.
The project, valued at Ksh. 300 billion, has raised concerns about Kenya's public debt, which currently stands at Ksh. 5.7 trillion and is expected to hit 70% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the near future.
However, the U.S. Government maintains that the highway is an investment and will provide Kenya with the best engineered solutions at a lower price than competitors.
U.S. envoy Kyle McCarter emphasized the benefits of doing business with a U.S. company, citing the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The announcement comes as the Kenyan Government revised the design of the Nairobi Expressway project, which had planned to hive off Uhuru Park, sparking public outrage.
