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Kenya plans to introduce toll roads

Xinhua, October 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya will develop a policy to introduce toll roads with private sector participation, an official said Friday.

The director of the Kenya National Highway Authority, Peter Mundinia, told Xinhua that relevant stakeholders will soon meet to develop the policy.

"The policy will then be forwarded to cabinet for approval and thereafter endorsed by parliament," Mundinia said.

He said that the government is planning to introduce user fees on some of the high-traffic highways.

"Public resources are not adequate to maintain the roads in good condition and so we plan to introduce fees," he said.

According to him, under the new policy, firms from the private sector will build and operate roads for 25 years and then hand them over to the government after recouping their investments.

Six road projects have already been chosen to be the first toll roads, including the 487 km Nairobi-Mombasa highway and the 160 km Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

Next month, the roads agency will hold a meeting with potential investors.

"The private sector is expected to inject 700 million U.S. dollars for the Nairobi-Nakuru road project and recoup investment by charging roads users," he said.

According to the official, the first toll roads in Kenya will be operational in the next five years.

He also said the Nairobi-Mombasa road will be divided into three parts to make it easier for private investors to undertake the project. Endit