Kenya: Nairobi Expressway traffic volume hits 50,000 vehicles landmark

This photo shows a section of the Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya, May 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

NAIROBI, Kenya - Vehicle traffic using the newly built Nairobi Expressway has hit a daily record of 50,000 vehicles.

This is according to the Moja Expressway Company -the firm that operates the expressway. Mr. Steve Zhao-Chief Executive Officer of Moja Expressway has revealed that the Nairobi Expressway has become an attractive mode of transport.

“Since its trial in May and December 1st, the total traffic volume of the expressway has exceeded 7.6 million vehicles. With the increment in the number of vehicles in the city, we expect daily usage to reach 70,000 by mid-January 2023," Zhao said during the Moja Expressway annual general meeting.

The 27.1-km Nairobi expressway was financed and built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Zhao further added that the highway has 100,000 users who utilize the electronic toll collection method to access the road, which is equivalent to 68 percent of all users.

Joseph Mbugua, principal secretary of the State Department of Roads, said the Nairobi expressway has had a positive impact on the country's economy by decreasing road congestion in Nairobi.

"It is amazing what the road has brought to our country because it has reduced the time spent traveling between the town center and the international airport," Mbugua added.

Mr Zhao also revealed that in order to increase the convenience of road users, the operator of the road will introduce the use of a mobile payment platform, M-PESA, as a method of payment by the end of January 2023.

Kenya is enhancing more trade and infrastructural development with China-Asian economic giant pegged on PPP models in other parts of the country.

GAROWE ONLINE