Kenya could soon have an expressway network running from Mombasa to the Ugandan border, linking the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway to the existing Nairobi Expressway, the planned Rironi-Mau Summit Highway and the Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba road.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The Director General of the Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships, Kefa Seda, said on Friday that the interconnected projects are being pursued as part of an integrated transport network to strengthen the Northern Corridor and ease the movement of cargo from the Port of Mombasa to regional markets.

Under the plan, the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway would connect with the existing Nairobi Expressway before continuing through the proposed Rironi-Mau Summit Highway and eventually joining the Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba route towards the Ugandan border.

The arrangement would create a continuous high-capacity road link from Kenya's main port through Nairobi and western Kenya to Malaba.

📌 What You Need to Know

Seda said on Friday that the government was looking beyond individual road projects and was instead developing an integrated network linking maritime gateways , production centres, logistics hubs and major consumption markets.

“The value of these investments will ultimately be reflected in the efficiency with which goods move from port to market, the capacity of our infrastructure to accommodate growing trade volumes, and the ability of the network to facilitate regional value chains and expand market access,” Seda said.

The proposed Rironi-Mau Summit Highway forms part of the planned expansion of the Northern Corridor, with the road expected to improve the connection between Nairobi and the western Kenya region once developed.

The government is also advancing preparations for the Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba Highway, which will provide the final major link towards the Ugandan border under the proposed expressway network.

Currently, the Directorate revealed that feasibility and other preparatory work for the project are being undertaken under the PPP framework as the government seeks to establish a structure capable of attracting private financing and technical expertise.

According to Seda, the route is strategically important for regional trade because Malaba is a major entry and exit point for cargo moving between Kenya and Uganda, with the Northern Corridor also serving other markets in East and Central Africa.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke