• Kenya signs deal with China’s Stecol to upgrade Nairobi road

• Project expands 23.5km route to dual carriageway with interchanges

• $298.9M China loan to fund works over 36 months

Kenya on Tuesday signed an agreement with China’s Stecol Corporation, formerly Sinohydro Tianjin Engineering, to upgrade the Muthaiga-Kiambu-Ndumberi road into a dual carriageway along a 23.5-km section.

The project will be implemented under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model and is expected to ease congestion, improve mobility and support economic activity along the route, the national roads authority said. The corridor is a key arterial road in eastern Nairobi.

The works include expanding the road to four lanes, with new interchanges and pedestrian footbridges at high-traffic points. Local media report the project will be financed through a 38.7 billion Kenyan shilling ($298.9 million) loan from China’s EXIM Bank. Construction is expected to take 36 months.

The project is part of a broader government plan to modernize Nairobi’s transport network. The city, home to about 5.5 million people, faces rising congestion. The upgrade also forms part of Kenya’s Vision 2030 strategy, which targets the construction and rehabilitation of about 5,500 km of roads, including 3,825 km of national highways and 1,675 km of county roads.

Beyond highways, Nairobi’s urban transport plan aims to develop a multimodal system that integrates rail. As part of this effort, Kenya has sought a $500 million World Bank loan to upgrade its suburban rail network, which would complement the standard gauge railway (SGR).

Henoc Dossa