Drivers on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway could pay up to Ksh1,447 in toll fees once the Rironi-Mau Summit Expressway opens, prompting the government to outline alternative free routes alongside a planned multi-billion tourism upgrade at the iconic Great Rift Valley Viewpoint.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir announced that motorists seeking to avoid the toll charges can use alternative roads, including the newly completed Mau Mau A1 road between Kijabe and Mai Mahiu, the Ngong-Suswa road, and the route connecting Gilgil through Kanyariri towards Nakuru.
Under the proposed tolling structure, drivers will pay Ksh8 per kilometre on the Rironi-Gilgil section and Ksh8.50 per kilometre between Gilgil and Mau Summit. Chirchir noted that the state has also designed a system to allow local residents living along the corridor to access nearby towns without paying toll fees.
The Public Private Partnership Petition Committee recently dismissed a petition by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) that challenged the Ksh8-per-kilometre toll rate, ruling that the lobby group filed its complaint after the seven-day statutory deadline.
Despite the alternative routes, Chirchir expects most motorists to choose the tolled expressway due to the time and fuel savings it will offer over longer, non-tolled bypasses.
The tolling plans coincide with a major state-led makeover of the Great Rift Valley Viewpoint along the Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha A8 South corridor.
