Kenya will construct its first high speed expressway connecting the capital city, Nairobi and its coastal city of Mombasa in the next six years, report the Business Daily.
The construction of the 473 kilometre modern road will connecting the country’s two largest cities is set to begin after a financing deal was reached.
“The project will be supported with financing from Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) in the United States of America. The signing of this agreement will be followed by mobilising of funds from the ECAs for the construction of the expressway,” Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) director-general Eng. Peter Mundinia in a statement.
The highway will cost 2,216,868,800 USD (230 billion Kenyan shillings) which will be recouped by charging motorists toll charge.
Commonly found in developed nations, expressways allow high speed traffic with an average of 120 kilometres per hour. With that speed, travel time between the two major Kenyan cities will be cut from six hours to four.
The expressway will also be key in East Africa’s trade links to Mombasa port which is important to landlocked markets.
“The highway will serve as a central part of Kenya’s national transport system, helping to promote trade and development in Kenya and into landlocked Uganda, Rwanda and DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo),” said Eng. Peter Mundinia.
