American company Everstrong Capital’s bid to build the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway has received a new lifeline. This is after the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Directorate opted to have the project undergo a fresh project development and feasibility exercise instead of terminating it altogether.
This has been revealed by the PPP Directorate in its latest quarterly report. The project development and feasibility report is expected to demonstrate the viability and affordability of the major highway that has been dubbed as the Usahihi Expressway.
According to former U.S Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter who is a director at Everstring Capital, the private equity firm has restructured the feasibility study for the project to meet the requirements of the National Treasury-led PPP Directorate.
“Everstrong and KeNHA have prepare a restructured feasibility study for a fresh submission,” McCarter told local media.
The government had initially dropped the mega Sh468 billion Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway project in August 2025. The project – which had been touted as a landmark infrastructure project in Africa by a company from the United States – was dropped after a meeting by the public-private-partnership (PPP) committee of the National Treasury.
After the cancellation, the committee directed the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to expand the existing highway.
The first signs of trouble for the Usahihi Expressway project emerged in early July when it was revealed that the committee had rejected the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway plan.
According to the committee, the project development report (PDR) was presented as a greenfield project. However, the PDR allegedly had gaps on land use and land acquisition for the project. A PDR contains a comprehensive overview of the project, and details the project’s development including its goals, scope, and potential risks.
Everstrong Capital submitted the project’s feasibility study in May 2025. “In a landmark moment for Kenya and African infrastructure at large, Everstrong Capital has officially submitted the full feasibility study for the 459km Usahihi Expressway to the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA),” the company had announced.
Everstrong had been looking to raise up to Sh129 billion from the local market, including from local banks and local pension funds. The developer would then raise Sh258 billion from external markets to bring the total estimated construction cost to Sh465.12 billion. Once complete, the Expressway would have operated on a toll-basis.
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