The amount of money in toll fees that motorists using the Usahihi Expressway shall pay has been announced. These toll charges were announced by Usahihi Chairman Kyle McCarter who is also the former US ambassador to Kenya.
According to McCarter, motorists will pay between Sh12 and Sh13 per kilometre to use the expressway. This implies that for a full journey from Nairobi to Mombasa on the 440 kilometre expressway, motorists will pay between Sh5,280 and Sh5,720.
“The toll charges will be in the neighbourhood of Sh12 to Sh13 per kilometre. As you know right now, the current expressway is Sh18; it started at Sh13 and now it is at Sh18. We are going to be below what the current expressway is charging,” he said. However, McCarter said that these estimates were not definite and could be subject to change.
“We are optimizing that toll rate to lower the charge as much as we can by lowering the cost of construction and lowering the cost of capital. The more we save, the more that toll rate goes down.”
The cost of usage is expected to vary depending on vehicle size and weight, with trucks expected to pay more. In early 2025, it emerged that heavy commercial vehicles might be compelled to strictly use the expressway, which will in turn see these vehicles contribute up to 75 percent in toll revenue.
Construction of Usahihi Expressway to start in early 2026
The construction of this expressway is set to start in the first quarter of 2026. McCarter says that the firm behind the expressway, Everstrong Capital, is planning to submit a formal feasibility study in May this year for approval by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA).
“Update on delivery: submitting feasibility study in May, looking for on-time approval from KeNHA and PPP, financial close by end of year and construction beginning Q1 2026,” he said in another interview.
The construction works on the road shall take four years to complete. To raise funds for the construction of the 440 kilometre mega highway, United States’ firm Everstrong Capital is looking to raise up to Sh129 billion from the local market, including from local banks and local pension funds.
The developer will then raise Sh258 billion from external markets to bring the total estimated construction cost to Sh465.12 billion.
