Energy and Transport CS Davis Chirchir has announced that the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has proposed installing highway tolls across the country.
While addressing the press on Thursday, February 220, Chirchir said the Authority plans to hold public participation forums starting Monday, February 24, Transport CS Chirchir announced.
Earlier in August 2024, the authority had proposed tolling only specific major highways in Kenya, with the aim of raising maintenance funds for the tolled roads.
The roads targeted by KeNHA for tolling included Thika Superhighway, Southern Bypass, Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Highway, Dongo Kundu Bypass, and the Kenol-Sagana-Marua Highway.
Draft Tolling Policy
According to KeNHA, the Road Toll Policy will be crafted after extensive public participation to ensure that the views of all stakeholders are captured and incorporated into the final policy document.
The tolling policy, which is currently under discussion, will guide the authority on the tolling model. This model is set to determine the amount to be paid, based on the distance traveled.
The Draft Tolling Policy also suggests that roads, which have been improved ‘relative to their previous standard’, would also be considered for tolling.
Thoroughfares of higher quality, such as those with multiple lanes and enhanced safety features, are also likely to be subject to tolling.
Roads that may not have been recently improved but offer better conditions or facilities that enhance the motorists’ experience will also attract toll charges.
In this new arrangement, there will be no alternative routes. All users will be required to pay the toll charges or face penalties.
“Roads where tolls are collected will not be required to have dedicated toll-free alternative routes,” states the draft policy.
Also Read: KeNHA Explains Reasons for Proposing Toll Fees on 6 Other Major Roads
Earlier Roads Proposed for Tolling
On August 13, 2024, KeNHA made public its plans to introduce tolls on major roads.
However, the backlash that followed was swift and intense, with a widespread rejection of the tolling proposal.
Many Kenyans on social media viewed the government’s attempt as insensitive, accusing it of deepening the burden on struggling citizens already grappling with the high cost of living.
Many were also critical of the Kenya Roads Board (KRB) for proposing a 39% increase in the levy on each liter of fuel purchased by motorists.
In July 2024, the Road Maintenance Levy Fund, a component of fuel costs, was set at Ksh18 per liter. However, it was later reviewed upward by KRB by Ksh 7, bringing the new rate to Ksh 25 per liter of fuel.
However, KeNHA later in rebattle stated that if the tolling policy is approved and a number of projects are successfully tolled, it will allocate the revenue generated from these road tolls specifically for the maintenance of the same roads.
The authority also mentioned that the toll fees will contribute to repaying loans used for the construction of some of the roads.
“Additionally, these toll fees will contribute to the repayment of loans used to fund major road projects, supporting our long-term financial sustainability, like the loan that built Dongo Kundu ByPass,” KeNHA said.
Also Read: Cheaper Loans for Kenyans, Historic Ksh82 B KRA Tax, & Ksh129 B Local Cash Needed for Expressway
History on Toll Roads
Back in the 1980s, road tolls were introduced as a means of funding road maintenance, but they were “abolished” in 1994 with the introduction of the road maintenance levy on fuel.
Interestingly, the legislation enabling transit toll levies and the Public Roads Toll Act, which authorizes the Cabinet Secretary in charge of roads to declare any public road a designated toll point, were never repealed.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s cabinet in 2016 ratified the National Road Tolling Policy when KeNHA attempted to introduce road tolls. However, the idea was quickly abandoned due to massive public outcry.
In 2020, the National Treasury again attempted to revive road tolling, with plans for the Nairobi Expressway and other projects such as the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Highway and the second Nyali Bridge. However, these plans never materialized.
Currently, the Nairobi Expressway is the only tolled road in Kenya. Managed by the Moja Expressway Company.
Road users pay between Ksh120 and Ksh360 to use the 27-kilometer stretch that connects Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Nairobi’s Westlands.
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