Motorists on major highways in Kenya will start paying fees in
the next three years as the government finally makes good its intention
to generate revenue from infrastructure.
The aim is to collect funds that will be used to maintain the country’s major arteries.
The
plan will initially affect the Mombasa-Nairobi highway, the Nairobi
Southern By-pass, Thika Highway and the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway.
Kenya
National Highway Authority (Kenha) Director Genera Peter Mundinia said
plans are at an advanced stage to contract a transaction adviser to
implement the toll stations programme.
Once collected,
the funds will be used to maintain roads as Kenya embarks on an
ambitious plan to construct 7,000km of roads across the country in the
next five years.
To date, only 2,000km of roads have been constructed by the Jubilee administration since it took over power in 2013.
Deputy
President William Ruto has, however, clarified that the 10,000km figure
in the Jubilee manifesto was for the next 10 years and not for their
first term in power.
“A policy to guide the toll
stations will soon be approved by the Cabinet,” said Mr Mundinia. “We
expect the first toll roads to be operational by the end of 2020.”
The
director-general, who was speaking in Nairobi, further indicated that
the government would use the Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework
to mobilise funds for the initiative.
He said a feasibility study shows that the private sector can help bridge the road infrastructure funding gap.
Mr
Mundinia added that a number of developed nations use toll roads to
build and maintain their networks, and so the concept is likely to
succeed in Kenya.
“We have decided to enlist the help
of the private sector as public resources are insufficient to build
highways fast enough,” he said.
When
tolling was first mooted four years ago, it was proposed that motorists
would be charged at the rate of Sh1.79 for pick-ups and matatus, and
Sh1.20 per kilometre for passenger cars.
Large trucks were to part with Sh3.59 per kilometre, medium trucks Sh2.39 and buses Sh2.39 per kilometre.
Road
tolls were initially introduced in Kenya in the late 1980s but were
scrapped in the mid-1990s in favour of the Roads Maintenance Levy to
eliminate rampant corruption at the stations.
Tolling
has, however, faced many hurdles, including a demand that the government
provides alternative freeways for those who are unable to pay, or those
who do not want to use the new roads.
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