The National treasury in Kenya has increased allocation for ongoing road projects in the country. Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani while presenting the 2021/22 budget said US $878m will go towards the ongoing roads and bridge construction in the year starting July, an 11% increase from US $786m in the current financial year.
The US $92m increase comes at a time the State has been investing heavily in road construction, a move that has opened up the country for trade and investment. Some of the roads under construction include the US $463m first double-decker road linking Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
The road is expected to reduce the traffic gridlocks along Mombasa Road. The bus rapid transit (BRT) system is one of the special features of the planned highway, which will involve the construction of a dedicated lane for large-capacity buses to ease congestion.
Also Read: National Treasury in Kenya approves plans to ease traffic congestion in Nairobi
Public-Private Partnerships
85.5-kilometre Kenol-Sagana-Marua road is being upgraded into a dual carriageway, further easing traffic congestion on a section of the Northern Corridor that caters for the agriculture-rich central Kenya.
Another road set for construction is the US $1.5bn toll highway from Nairobi to Mau Summit, which will see the road expanded into a four-lane dual carriageway through a Public-Private Partnership model.
The 233-kilometre project contract that was awarded to a French consortium made up of Vinci Highways SAS, Meridian Infrastructure Africa Fund, and Vinci Concessions SAS. The state has also been opting for Public-Private Partnerships in financing infrastructure projects in the country as a part of a wider plan not to burden the public with heavy loans that sometimes come with higher repayment terms.
80%
