The government is set to introduce toll charges on key public roads as part of efforts to address infrastructure budget shortfalls.
A new policy proposed by the Ministry of Transport states that tolls will be implemented on roads requiring user charges to remain financially viable. This will apply to newly constructed roads, upgraded routes, and crossings involving other transport modes.
According to the Draft Tolling Policy, roads with additional lanes, improved safety features, or facilities enhancing motorists’ experience could also be tolled. Unlike previous tolling models, there will be no toll-free alternative routes, meaning all users must pay.
“Roads where tolls are collected will not be required to have dedicated toll-free alternative routes,” the draft policy states. However, the government says it will consider public concerns by offering discounts and introducing the charges in phases.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) confirmed that tolling will be introduced on major highways, including the Nairobi Southern Bypass, Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway, and Thika Superhighway. Other roads expected to attract tolls include the Kenol-Sagana-Marua Road and Mombasa’s Dongo Kundu Bypass.
Revenues from tolls will fund critical projects such as the dualling of the Rironi-Nakuru-Mau Summit route and the construction of the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway.
“Toll operators will be entitled to impose penalty fees on vehicles failing to pay tolls and may assist in enforcing fines on overloaded vehicles and other offences as defined in law,” the policy states.
The tolling system will be implemented under public-private partnerships (PPPs), where private investors will finance, build, and maintain the roads in exchange for toll revenues. Roads with at least 5,000 vehicles per day and significant freight traffic will be prioritised for tolling.
Currently, the Nairobi Expressway is the only tolled road in Kenya. The 27-kilometre stretch linking Nairobi to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was built under a PPP agreement with China Roads and Bridges Corporation. The project has been praised as a successful self-financing infrastructure model.
“This policy aims to replicate the benefits of tolling as a solution to road development funding shortfalls,” said Transport CS Davis Chirchir.
Last year, the High Court temporarily halted the Kenya National Highways Authority’s (KeNHA) plan to impose tolls on several major roads, including the Thika Superhighway.
This decision, handed down on August 23 2024,the legal battle by then was only just beginning. With the court’s decision stalling the tolling process, attention now shifts to Parliament, where lawmakers may introduce legislation to give KeNHA’s plans the force of law.
The proposal to introduce toll fees on major roads has sparked widespread public outcry. Critics argue that such charges would burden ordinary Kenyans, contradicting President William Ruto’s campaign pledge to keep road usage free.
During his 2022 campaign, Ruto promised that Kenyans would not have to pay tolls to use the country’s roads, a promise that now seems increasingly difficult to keep.
