Naivasha residents oppose toll-stations on planned Rironi-Mau Summit Expressway

Large trailors wait along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway following a major traffic jam that lasted for over 12 hours after a road accident involving a trailer and personal car near Gilgil weighbridge on Thursday evening. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

Residents of Naivasha are up in arms over plans to charge all motorists using the planned Rironi-Mau Summit expressway terming this as doubled taxation.

They have now challenged the Kenya National Highway Authority (KENHA) to make sure that there is an alternative road for those motorists not keen to use the expressway.

This emerged during a public participation exercise for residents of Naivasha for the 233km road whose work is expected to start in the next couple of months.

According to Antony Ng'ang'a senior engineer with KENHA, design works were going on after a feasibility study was done and confirmed that the road needed to be expanded.

Ng'ang'a said that two Chinese companies had already been identified and areas that needed to be served with three and four lanes respectively mapped out.

"We are in the process of collecting opinion from those along the highway and all this will be included in the final design which will also address the issues of toll stations," he said.

Addressing the residents, he said that a feasibility study conducted in 2015 called for urgent measures to expand the Nairobi-Nakuru highway due to increased traffic.

"Many lives have been lost on this highway, traffic jams have become the norm but all this will be fully addressed once the expressway is complete," he said.

Former Lakeview MCA Simon Wanyoike said that they would object to any plans to introduce toll stations for all motorists using the expressway.

He said that currently motorists were paying fuel levy which was meant to construct and repair other roads terming the toll as double taxation.

"As part of CSR, we are asking the contracted companies to construct a footbridge for students of Milimani primary school in Naivasha town," he said.

A representative of Naivasha business community Edward Mariku called for service lanes and under paths for all estates located along the planned expressway.

"This project is a game-changer for this area and we want residents to benefit from employment and business opportunities," he said.

Former Head of the Government Delivery Service (GDS) Peter Mbae called for information on how much the expressway would cost as it was the taxpayers would pay the debt.

"We are in darkness as to when works on this road will start, how much it will cost and why the first contract with the French consortium was cancelled," he said.

On his part, Naivasha Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Josiah Odongo said that locals would be the first beneficiaries of employment and business opportunities when the project started.