Politician urges government to allow motorists to use Expressway for free
By Wangu KanuriA Kenyan politician has asked the government for a free ride on the Expressway for a week.
Edwin Sifuna, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) secretary general and who is vying for the Nairobi Senator seat, said the free rides will act as some sort of gratitude to Kenyans who were inconvenienced during the construction of the 27km road.
“Residents of Kitengela and Syokimau have been enduring torrid traffic (with diversions) during the construction of this road,” he explained on his socials.
The expressway, a new 27km road that cuts through the Kenyan capital, is set to be opened for use on Saturday.
The road which has been constructed by a China company at a cost of Sh88 billion and consists an 8km of elevated road and four-lane highway whose aim is to ease traffic within Kenyan capital.
Motorists using the road have to pay upto Sh1050 to be granted access but the Chinese company has since announced it will not allow payments to be done via mobile money.
Additionally, only selected motorists working for the government and related agencies that are supporting the construction of the expressway will be allowed to test the road.
The dual carriageway has 11 interchanges at Mlolongo, Standard Gauge Railway, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Eastern Bypass, Southern Bypass, Capital Centre, Haile Selassie Avenue, Museum Hill, Westlands, and James Gichuru Road.