Kipchumba Murkomen, the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, has clarified the factors contributing to the rise in toll charges for utilizing the Nairobi Expressway.
CS Murkomen, in a post on X in response to Alego Usonga MP Sam Atandi, said the increase is proportional to the depreciation of the Kenya shilling to the United States dollar.
According to the CS, the adjustment is covered in the Project Agreement established in 2021, and the toll rates were gazetted in April 2022, hence his ministry and the government has no choice but to abide by it.
“If you take the maximum increase which is from 360 to 500 you will get a difference of 140 Shillings. if you divide Kshs 140 by Kshs 360 and multiply by 100 you will get 38.89%. Now the last adjustment was done when one dollar was equal to Kshs 113.14. Now the dollar is Ksh 157 and using the same method I.e 157 minus 113 which is equal to 44. Divide 44 by 113 and multiply by 100 and you will get 38.9 %. So the increase is proportional,” he wrote.
“The adjustment was done based on the Project Agreement taking into account the depreciation of the Kenya Shilling to the United States dollar since the time of gazettement of the Toll Rates in April 2022. The formulae for computing the new rates is already embedded in the agreement taking into account the loan facility by the investor which was borrowed using USD.”
He added: “The good thing about express way is first that the government of Kenya did not give traffic volume guarantee otherwise the taxpayer would now be paying a lot from the interest accrued and inflation plus the difference unmet by less traffic flow. Second, the consumer has alternative route which is not tolled.”
CS Murkomen had earlier announced that the government had increased the charges for using the Nairobi Expressway from the current range of Ksh.100 to Ksh.310 to a new range of Ksh. 170 to Ksh.500 across all the stations along the Mlolongo-Westlands route.
The CS announced the new charges in a gazette notice dated December 31, 2023, saying the rates take effect immediately.
In the new rates, motorists entering the Expressway on Mlolongo and exiting at the SGR station and the Eastern Bypass will be required to pay Ksh.250 up from the current Ksh.100, while those exiting at the Southern Bypass will pay Ksh.330 up from Ksh.210.
On the same route, vehicles exiting at Capital Hill and Haile Selassie stations will pay Ksh.410 up from Ksh.210.
Exits at Museum Hill, The Mall and Nairobi Westland’s terminus will attract Ksh.500 rate up from Ksh.310.
The same rates will also be applicable for motorists travelling through the opposite route from the Nairobi Westlands entry terminus to the Mlolongo exit terminus.
The shorter routes from Syokimau to the SGR station and those from SGR and the JKIA stations to the Eastern Bypass will cost motorists Ksh.170 up from Ksh.100.
