The PPP Directorate has disclosed that the proposed Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway remains under transaction advisory, indicating that procurement for the long-awaited project has yet to begin despite earlier government projections pointing to progress in the tendering process this year.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In its latest Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Programme update released on Friday, June 19, the agency classified the highway among projects still undergoing preparatory work, suggesting critical financial and project structuring processes are still underway before investors can be brought on board.

The disclosure marks the latest milestone for the long-awaited 461-kilometre road project, which is expected to transform the existing A8 highway into a modern access-controlled toll expressway linking Nairobi and Mombasa.

In the PPP update reviewed by Kenyans.co.ke , the government listed the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway among strategic transport projects but noted that the "Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway (Transaction Advisory underway)".

📌 What You Need to Know

The report further places the project under the feasibility study and project development category within the national PPP pipeline, indicating that it has not yet advanced to the formal procurement and tendering phase.

The latest position contrasts with earlier expectations that the project would move more rapidly through the PPP process after the government identified it as one of its flagship infrastructure priorities.

In March, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir told the Senate that the government was finalising a PPP assessment report and undertaking detailed evaluations to determine the project's value for money, financing structure and investment returns.

At the time, Chirchir described the highway as a high-priority project, noting that it forms part of the Northern Corridor, a critical trade route serving Kenya and several neighbouring countries.

A subsequent PPP Directorate quarterly report released in April suggested that the project had moved deeper into the procurement preparation phase, with plans to publish a transaction advisor proposal report by the end of April , 2026.

The advisor was expected to help refine feasibility studies, structure financing arrangements, and package the project for investor engagement ahead of eventual procurement.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke