Nairobi Expressway: 15 Important Things to Know like Charges, Costs, Images, Exits, and Fines

What is the Nairobi Expressway? The Nairobi Expressway in Kenya is a premium highway that goes from the Mlolongo area in Machakos County to the Westlands area in Nairobi County.

In this article, we will cover the Nairobi Expressway charges, costs, images, exits, and fines, among other things.

The highway was built during the reign of President Uhuru Kenyatta by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Model. The construction began in October 2019 and the road was opened to the public on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

The Nairobi Expressway is a 27.1-kilometer-long road built to ease congestion between Mombasa Road and Westlands by reducing traffic on Mombasa Road and the Central Business District. The road has reduced travel time between Westlands and JKIA Airport from 2 hours to just 20 minutes.

Here are more details about the Nairobi Expressway:

Nairobi Expressway Toll Charges

It costs a total of KES 500 to traverse the whole Nairobi Expressway from Westlands to Mlolongo. Here is a table with detailed toll charges for the Nairobi Expressway.

The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) will collect toll charges for 27 years before handing the road to the government.

	Mlolongo	Syokimau	SGR	JKIA	Eastern Bypass	Southern Bypass	Capital Centre	Haile Selassie	Museum Hill	The Mall	Nairobi Westlands
Mlolongo	-	-	250	-	250	330	410	410	500	-	500
Syokimau	-	-	170	-	250	330	330	410	410	-	500
SGR	-	-	-	-	170	250	330	330	410	-	410
JKIA	-	-	-	-	170	250	250	330	330	-	410
Eastern Bypass	250	250	-	170	-	170	250	250	330	-	410
Southern Bypass	350	330	-	250	170	-	170	170	250	-	330
Capital Centre	410	330	-	250	250	170	-	170	170	-	250
Haile Selassie	410	410	-	330	250	170	170	-	170	-	250
Museum Hill	500	410	-	330	330	250	170	170	-	-	-
The Mall	500	500	-	410	330	250	250	170	170	-	-
Nairobi Westlands	500	500	-	410	410	330	250	250	170	-	-

These Toll charges were revised as of 19th December 2023 using Gazette Notice No. 17419.

Nairobi Expressway Vehicle Classes

Below is the Vehicle classes allowed and prohibited to use the Nairobi Expressway.

Class of vehicle	Definition	Base Toll Rates (Ksh.)
Class 1	Two-wheeled Motor Vehicles	Prohibited
Class 2	Three-wheeled motor vehicles	Prohibited
Class 3	Light Vehicles with two axles	x
Class 4	Light vehicles with two axles and a high bonnet	1.5x
Class 5	Heavy vehicles with fewer than four axles	4x
Class 6	Heavy vehicles with four or more axles	5x

Nairobi Expressway Cost

The Nairobi Expressway was built at a cost of KES 87. 9 billion from an initial planned budgeted cost of KES 65. 2 billion according to the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA).

Nairobi Expressway Map

You can access the Nairobi Expressway Map Here. You can view terrain, traffic, and surrounding areas and amenities.

Nairobi Expressway Images

Here are some Nairobi Expressway images.

You can find more Nairobi Expressway photos from different sources across the web.

There are some artists who have drawn beautiful Nairobi Expressway pictures to depict the outstanding highway.

Nairobi Expressway Exits

There are seven exits on the Nairobi Expressway outbound, namely:

1. Westlands
2. Haile Selassie
3. Capital Center
4. Southern ByPass
5. Eastern Bypass
6. JKIA
7. Nairobi East

Nairobi Expressway Toll Stations

Here is a list of Toll Stations on the Nairobi Expressway outbound:

1. Nairobi West
2. Westlands
3. Museum Hill
4. Haile Selassie
5. Capital Center
6. Southern ByPass
7. Eastern Bypass
8. JKIA
9. Nairobi East

Here is a list of Toll Stations on the Nairobi Expressway inbound:

1. Nairobi East
2. Syokimau
3. SGR
4. Eastern Bypass
5. Southern Bypass
6. Capital Center
7. Westlands
8. Nairobi West

Nairobi Expressway Mode of Payment

Currently, the Nairobi Expressway supports the following three modes of payment:

1. Cash
2. Manual Toll Card (MTC Card)
3. On Board Unit (OBU) – installed in a vehicle

Where to Register for MTC or OBU for the Nairobi Expressway

You can register for Nairobi Expressway MTC or OBU at two places:

1. At the Nairobi Expressway Plaza situated along Mombasa Road opposite City Cabanas Embakasi
2. Lavington Center along Gitanga Road next to Maria Immaculate Hospital

Nairobi Expressway Rules

1. No stopping to allow anyone to get on or off the vehicle.
2. No reversing – if you miss an exit, you go to the next exit.
3. Observe speed limits – a max speed of 100 km/h.
4. No occupying the emergency lane, which is on the far left of the road, except in case of an emergency.

Nairobi Expressway Speed Limit

The Nairobi Expressway Speed Limit is 100Km/h. Going above this speed will attract a fine at the exit.

Nairobi Expressway Fines

Any damage to the Nairobi Expressway will attract a fine of KES 8.7 million and above. The fines are as follows:

1. Damage to Sign Posts – a fine of up to KES 8.7 million.
2. Damage to Weight Batcher – a fine of up to KES 4.1 million.
3. Pouring Oil, Water, or Chemicals on the road – a fine of KES 6,939.
4. Drawing artwork or graffiti on the road – a fine of KES 2,362.
5. Car scratching the walls on the road – a fine of KES 2,362.
6. Towing a stalled motor vehicle – fine of between KES 4,000 and KES 40,000.

Nairobi Expressway Lanes

The Nairobi Expressway is a four-lane highway that expands to a six-lane in the areas between the Eastern Bypass and Southern Bypass.

Nairobi Expressway Launch

The Nairobi Expressway was launched on Sunday 31st July 2022, by the then president Uhuru Kenyatta.

Nairobi Expressway Statistics

Traffic has increased from 11,000 during its launch to around 53,000 in the year 2024.

Impact of the Nairobi Expressway

The Nairobi Expressway will impact road users on Mombasa Road, the CBD, the Westlands area, and the communities that live along the expressway in the following ways:

1. Upon its completion, the Nairobi Expressway will significantly reduce the time spent on Mombasa Road at rush hour from approximately 2 hours to between 10 and 15 minutes. This means that travelers going to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) will no longer miss flights as a result of traffic jams. Residents of estates along Mombasa Road and the city suburbs like Syokimau, Athi River, and Kitengela will benefit greatly from quicker access to their residences.
2. The road connects Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the east of the city to the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway in the west, making transit to the western part of the country easier and faster.
3. Connecting from Mlolongo to the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway is fast as compared to the past when motorists had to pass through city traffic.
4. The road has dramatically changed the city’s skyline, creating a beautiful concrete jungle in the once basic Nairobi City scenery.
5. There has been a loss of trees, especially along Waiyaki Way, which means less greenery until the newly planted ones, if any, take shape.
6. Drivers have to part with toll money to use the road. This affects them economically and locks out those who cannot afford it.

Conclusion

I hope you managed to get enough information on the Nairobi Expressway.

Check out the release of the Digital Number Plates here in Kenya.