Treasury Moves to Expand Nairobi Mombasa Highway Into a Four Lane Road

The National Treasury is evaluating bids for a transaction adviser who will help assess the proposed expansion of the Nairobi Mombasa Highway, a major road linking Kenya’s two largest cities.

The project, which is listed as a priority under the Medium Term Plan, will be developed through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

The Treasury published an Expression of Interest on August 11, 2026, seeking a firm to provide advisory services.

The proposed project will cover approximately 460 kilometres and involve upgrading the existing two lane highway to at least four lanes.

It will also introduce controlled entry and exit points and convert the road into a toll road, meaning motorists will pay fees to use it.

The transaction adviser will assess traffic levels, engineering requirements, environmental and social impacts, and the overall cost of the project.

The assessment will help determine whether the proposed expansion is technically and economically viable.

The expanded highway is expected to improve transport between Nairobi and Mombasa, two important economic centres in Kenya.

The road also forms part of the Trans African Highway network, which connects countries across Central and Eastern Africa and supports regional trade and tourism.

The project follows earlier proposals to construct a separate expressway along the Nairobi Mombasa corridor.

In 2024, US infrastructure firm Everstrong Capital submitted a proposal for a six lane expressway measuring about 440 kilometres, with an estimated cost of Ksh 365 billion.

However, the National Treasury’s Public Private Partnership Committee rejected the proposal, citing failure to meet the requirements of the Public Private Partnerships Act, 2021. The company was instead advised to focus on expanding the existing highway.

In April 2026, Everstrong expressed disappointment after a petitions committee declined its petition concerning the feasibility report for the Usahihi Nairobi Mombasa Expressway Project.

The firm indicated that it planned to challenge the decision in the High Court.

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/128726-treasury-begins-bids-evaluation-460km-nairobi-mombasa-expressway

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