Firms behind Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway deny project has been abandoned

Everstrong Capital and Usahihi Expressway Limited, the firms behind the planned construction of the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway, have denied reports that the government has abandoned the project.

They also accused local media of what they called misreporting that the government has abandoned the project.

This comes after on Tuesday, Kenya National Highway Authority(KeNHA), which is the contracting authority in a notice, said the proposal for the expressway that is also called Usahihi Expressway, does not meet the criteria, hence the decision to abandon it.

The decision to abandon the project, which was supposed to start at Mlolongo (where the Nairobi Expressway ends) and end at Bonje in Mombasa, KeNHA said was informed by findings contained in a report prepared by it, the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Directorate, which is domiciled at the National Treasury and the PPP Committee.

KenHA said the decision was delivered during the 54th ordinary PPP Committee meeting held on July 2, 2025.

“To the effect that the committee determined that the proposal does not meet the relevant criteria and should be abandoned in accordance with Section 43(11)(c) of the DPP Act, 2021,” said the notice.

It added: “..directed that the contracting authority considers restricting the project to meet the evaluation criteria through expansion of the existing A8 highway. This proposal may then be resubmitted to the committee for fresh determination in line with Section 43(12) of the PPP Act, 2021.”

But in a press statement to newsrooms today, the firms said reports circulating in local media suggesting that the Usahihi Nairobi–Mombasa Expressway has been “rejected” or “terminated” are factually incorrect and misleading.

“We wish to clarify that recent local media reports claiming that the Usahihi Nairobi–Mombasa Expressway has been “rejected” or “terminated” are both inaccurate and misleading. No such decision has been made by the Government of Kenya, the National Treasury, or the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA),” said the two firms.

They added: “We remain fully committed to transparency and to working closely with all relevant government bodies and stakeholders to advance this project.”

The firms said the project remains under active review within the structured framework of the PPP Act, 2021.

They said the news publications misinterpret KeNHA’s recent public communication, which referenced technical inputs required as part of the ongoing feasibility study refinement.

“These comments have been wrongly spun as a project cancellation or rejection, which is completely untrue. In reality, we have been in active, constructive discussions with KeNHA for over a year, and the current process reflects their request for additional technical inputs as part of the project’s refinement phase,” they said.

They added that together with their advisory team and government counterparts, they are working to incorporate new elements, including potential upgrades to parts of the existing A8 road, as part of a comprehensive corridor-wide solution, and a direct response to KeNHA and the PPP’s request to ‘restructure’ the submission.

“The Usahihi Expressway is not only a greenfield expressway; it is a hybrid model that will also include modernising and expanding sections of the current highway where appropriate. This integrated approach is part of the original PPP concept and remains consistent with the project’s goal: to deliver a safer, faster and future-ready transportation backbone between Nairobi and Mombasa, in the most transparent and professional fashion including Kenyan pensioners and investors,” they said.

The firms urged media outlets to verify information with official sources before publishing what they called speculative or misleading content.

“Misreporting of this nature not only risks undermining investor and public confidence but also creates confusion among stakeholders such as truck drivers, transporters and logistics firms, many of whom stand to benefit significantly from the expressway’s delivery,” it said.

Reached for comment, KeNHA's HEad of Communication Samuel Kumba said: Although the term abandonment has been used as it is in the act contetually, it refers to the early submitted proposal."

"However, the firms have been given an opportunity to restructure their proposal, follow guidelines, and resubmit for consideration."

Once completed, the expressway is expected to revolutionise transport along the corridor by cutting travel time from 10 hours and half to four and half hours, boosting trade, enhancing road safety, and creating thousands of jobs.