KENYA TO PUT TOLL GATES ON FIVE HIGHWAYS FROM 2018

Kenya to Introduce toll stations on five of its Highways from 2018.

From 2018 Kenya is planning to introduce toll stations on five (5) of its highways which will have motorists paying between US $0.01 to US $0.03 per kilometre for the next 30 years.

The Director-General of Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Mr. Peter Mundinia, during an Investor briefing in Nairobi said that some of the highways would first have to be upgraded by  private investors who will then charge motorists for using the highway. The highways needing upgrade includes; the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway and a second bridge in Nyali.

Other highways like the Thika Superhighway and the Nairobi Southern Bypass, which are already complete would be advertised by the state for private partners to bid for its management while collecting tolls.

KeNHA said there will be three formats for payment at the toll stations and they would include; a manual system which involves motorists stopping and paying, the second would be an electronic system that uses prepaid cards that can be swiped and lastly a system where vehicles would be fitted with tags.

According to the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, cost of transportation accounts for about 30% of the cost of goods and services across the region, especially due to poor infrastructure and the thousand of man-hours lost in traffic on a per day basis.

The proposed rates for the tolls is dependent on the type of vehicle, Saloons cars are charged US $0.03 per kilometer while pick ups and vans will pay US $0.02 for the same length. Medium and large trucks are to be charged US $0.02 and US $0.03 per kilometer, respectively.

These projects will cut down costs for motorists in terms of fuel savings, lost man hours and car maintenance, as well as greatly spur economic activity in the country.