The Nairobi Expressway: Missing key component of the Northern Corridor
Since the late 1990s there have been discussions to expand the section of the Northern Corridor, (A8) between Machakos Turnoff – JKIA – Nairobi CBD and Rironi. The Nairobi Expressway was an inevitable and necessary component of Kenya's and the larger regional infrastructural network.
“The Nairobi Expressway is a key section of the Northern Corridor which provides passage to 85% of cargo destined for the neighboring landlocked countries. .”
The Northern Corridor is an important transport route connecting the countries of East Africa — from the Port of Mombasa in Kenya to landlocked Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Weak link
At peak hours, it currently takes motorists 2 hours to commute from Mlolongo to Waiyaki way in Nairobi. Nairobi has therefore become a bottle neck for the Northern Corridor. There have been interventions to expand the section between Athi River — Machakos Junction and the Waiyaki Way — Rironi section. The intervention that joins these two projects is the Nairobi Expressway.
The Nairobi Expressway is not only a necessary project for Kenya, but a key component for the larger East Africa Region.