Gov’t Announces Plans To Toll Main Western Region Link Highway
Motorists and truckers will soon pay toll fees on the Mau Summit-Eldoret- Malaba highway as the government moves to upgrade the 243-kilometre road into a four-lane corridor under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The National Treasury has announced plans to upgrade the highway in the northern corridor.
This aims to enhance cargo movement between Kenya and East African countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The 243-kilometre road is being structured for development through competitive bidding under the PPP framework, with feasibility studies currently ongoing.
This is according to the latest Treasury Ministry Quarterly Projects Progress and Status Report released on April 10.
The project is being implemented by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), which has already secured the right-of-way for much of the corridor.
KeNHA is also currently coordinating with the finance ministry and development partners to structure the project transparently.
It will be funded by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), with KeNHA as the contracting authority, and a UK-based construction firm, the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS), as the transaction advisor.
The project comprises upgrading the 243-kilometer Mau Summit-Malaba highway, converting it into an access-controlled tolled road and expanding its capacity from 2 lanes to 4 lanes.
The highway running from Mau Summit, Eldoret, and finally to Malaba will complement the Nairobi-Rironi-Mau Summit. This 175-kilometre highway is currently under construction.
It is expected to reduce congestion on roads and increase the movement of goods from the port of Mombasa to neighbouring countries, such as Uganda, and beyond.
The route currently sees over 3,000 trucks daily, moving over 35 million tonnes of cargo annually.
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This is expected to increase once the upgrade is finally completed.
Data from the ministry shows that the pre-feasibility study for the project began in November 2025 and is still ongoing, with the final cost yet to be determined.
While the government has not announced toll charges, the conversion of the highway into an access-controlled road signals that road users, particularly freight operators, will likely contribute to cost recovery once the project becomes operational.
The announcement comes amid government efforts to enhance the northern corridor route, with the upgrade of the Rironi-Mau summit road reportedly progressing steadily.
The 175-kilometre stretch is expected to be completed by June next year, with sections of the road open for use by April 2027.
Gov’t Announces Plans To Toll Main Western Region Link Highway
