Nairobi Expressway Users Warned Against Paying Toll Fees to Attendants Via MPesa

The operator of the Nairobi Expressway has warned motorists against paying toll fees to toll attendants through MPesa.

Moja Expressway, a subsidiary of the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) which is responsible for designing, financing, and building the 27-kilometer highway, said the attendants are not authorized to receive payments on behalf of the company.

The operator warned that paying toll fees by sending money to toll attendants amounts to subverting the law, and urged motorists to report such incidents.

“Kindly take note, toll attendants are not permitted to receive toll fees on their personal mobile money accounts. Please help us serve you better by reporting such unauthorized transactions to us via our hotline,” Moja Expressway said in a notice.

Motorists using the elevated road are required to pay in cash or use Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) and Manual Toll Collection (MTC) cards. Moja Expressway will maintain and operate the expressway for 27 years to recoup its investment through toll fees.

The expressway, the first major project in the country to be carried out through a Public-Private Partnership [PPP] model, begins from Mlolongo through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Nairobi CBD to the Westlands area along Waiyaki Way.

The Sh88 billion highway has 11 interchanges at Mlolongo, Standard Gauge Railway, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Eastern Bypass, Southern Bypass, Capital Centre, Haile Selassie Avenue, Museum Hill, Westlands, and James Gichuru Road.

The Transport Ministry set the base toll charge for using the expressway from Mlolongo to the James Gichuru exit in Westlands at Sh360 while the cost of using the road between JKIA and Westlands is Sh300.

Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said at least 31,000 vehicles use the road every day since it was opened for public trial on May 14th. President Kenyatta said the trial run would enable his administration to identify sections of the road that needed to be improved before its official launch.