Government seeks private investor to finish and toll James Gichuru-Rironi road

Get breaking business news on WhatsApp

Motorists on the James Gichuru-Rironi road could soon pay to use it. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) is looking for a private investor to finish the outstanding works on the World Bank-funded section and run it as a toll road, according to a status report from the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Directorate at the National Treasury.

The report, covering the period to the end of September, describes the project as “a brownfield project involving the rehabilitation and completion of outstanding civil works, together with the introduction of tolling under a management contract.” The plan was first reported by Business Daily on Monday.

Why this short stretch matters

The road runs from the James Gichuru junction on Waiyaki Way to Rironi, where the highway splits towards Mai Mahiu and Naivasha. It is the only part of the busy Northern Corridor between Mlolongo and Mau Summit that is not tolled or set to be tolled.

The Nairobi Expressway already charges motorists between Mlolongo and James Gichuru. Beyond Rironi, the KSh184 billion Rironi-Mau Summit highway is being built as a PPP and will charge tolls once complete. If the James Gichuru-Rironi plan goes ahead, a driver could travel from Mlolongo in Machakos County to Mau Summit in Nakuru County on roads that are paid for at the point of use.

What the investor would do

The road was built under the World Bank-backed National Urban Transport Improvement Project (NUTRIP). Its cost was first put at KSh16 billion, but long delays pushed it to about KSh20 billion. Some works are still not done, including footbridges, road markings and some road layers. Business Daily puts the remaining works at about KSh4 billion.

KeNHA officials say the government did not provide its share of the financing, which is why a private investor is now being sought. The investor would complete the works and then recover the money from toll fees. Because the investment is small compared with a new highway, an official quoted by Business Daily said the operator might run the road for only four to five years before handing it back, well short of the usual 25 to 30 years.

The PPP Directorate says the aim is “a sustainable framework for the operation, maintenance and long-term management of the corridor.” Toll fees, the length of the contract and the date tolling would start have not been announced.

Paying twice?

The plan is likely to revive the argument over tolling roads that taxpayers have already paid for through loans. Motorists already pay the Road Maintenance Levy on every litre of fuel, at a time when pump prices have just risen to KSh226.96 a litre for petrol in Nairobi.

The government’s position, set out in the Draft National Tolling Policy 2025, is that tolls and the fuel levy can work side by side. The draft estimates the levy fund raises about KSh100 billion a year against road maintenance needs of KSh253.5 billion, and puts the wider gap for building, maintaining and repairing roads at KSh1.8 trillion over five years. The Roads Ministry has already turned to the levy to clear contractor pending bills.

The same draft policy lists other existing roads earmarked for tolling, including the Nairobi Southern Bypass, Thika Superhighway and the Kenol-Sagana-Marua road. The government is also studying tolls on the Mau Summit-Malaba stretch, which would turn most of the Northern Corridor from Mombasa to the Ugandan border into a toll road.

What it means for road users

For commuters from Kikuyu, Limuru and Kiambu, and for truckers heading west, tolls would add a new cost on top of fuel. Matatu owners have already pushed for a 10% fare rise after this month’s fuel review, and any new toll is likely to be passed on to passengers. Nothing changes yet: the project is still at the stage of finding an investor, and KeNHA has not given a timeline.