Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has hinted that the government is considering expanding and tolling the approximately 160-kilometre Nairobi-Namanga Highway, signalling what could become one of Kenya's next major infrastructure projects financed through the National Infrastructure Fund (NIF).

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Speaking in Kisumu on Friday during a press briefing on the government's planned divestiture of shares in one of the country's leading telecommunications companies, Mbadi said proceeds from the sale would not be used to finance recurrent expenditure but would instead fund commercially viable infrastructure projects.

The CS made the remarks while responding to criticism from Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who is leading a court challenge against the government's planned partial sale of shares in the telecommunications firm.

Mbadi defended the divestiture, arguing that the funds would be invested in projects capable of generating returns while supporting the country's economic development.

📌 What You Need to Know

"We are not going to use for our budgetary consumption the money that we are getting from the divestiture of our state firms. We are investing that money, and it is going into the National Infrastructure Fund, which we are going to use for investments," Mbadi said.

He then pointed to the Nairobi-Namanga corridor as one of the examples of projects that could benefit from the fund, suggesting the highway could be upgraded into a dual carriageway with toll stations .

“We are going to use that money to finance public infrastructure that is commercially viable. If that money goes to the construction of terminals at JKIA, we will be able to see,” he added.

“If it goes to the expansion of the Nairobi-Namanga road, the road leading to the border of Tanzania and Kenya, we will see a dual carriageway, and we will see toll stations erected on those roads, where road users will pay some money to be able to contribute to the National Infrastructure Fund.”

Mbadi, however, did not provide further details on the proposed Nairobi-Namanga project, including the timeline, estimated cost, whether the entire corridor would be expanded or the procurement model that would be adopted.

The Nairobi-Namanga Road stretches for approximately 160 kilometres between Nairobi and the Kenya-Tanzania border at Namanga. However, the section between Athi River and Namanga measures about 136 kilometres and has previously undergone reconstruction under a regional road development programme.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke