Kindiki announced the timeline during an event in Kiambu County. No specific date has been given for the launch.
The project is designed as a 60-kilometre elevated road linking Thika town to Nairobi at Museum Hill. Its design has been compared to the Nairobi Expressway, which runs from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to James Gichuru in Westlands.
Preliminary cost estimates place the construction at between KSh 150 billion and KSh 200 billion. The final cost has not been confirmed.
The government is expected to pursue a public-private partnership to finance the road. No funding partners or financing agreements have been named, and the arrangement is not yet finalised.
About a month before Kindiki’s announcement, the government commissioned a feasibility study for the project. The study was to examine possible alignments, engineering specifications and traffic capacity.
It was also to assess environmental and social impacts, along with the land acquisition requirements. The report’s notes do not make clear whether the study has been completed.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of the Thika Superhighway, which was built during former president Mwai Kibaki’s tenure. That road was expected to ease congestion between Thika and Nairobi, but rising vehicle numbers have since overwhelmed its capacity.
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