The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has revealed why it rejected a massive deal with a US company that wanted to build the long-awaited Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway.
Everstrong Capital, an American infrastructure investment firm, had pitched a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project to construct a 440-kilometre road connecting Nairobi to Mombasa, two of Kenya’s most important cities.
But KeNHA says the plan did not meet the legal and technical requirements set under the PPP Act of 2021.
The rejection came after the PPP Committee of the National Treasury and Economic Planning held its 54th meeting on July 2, 2025.
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In a statement, KeNHA said:
“It was determined that the proposal does not meet the relevant criteria and should be abandoned per Section 43(11)(c) of the PPP Act, 2021.”
This is a big deal because the Nairobi-Mombasa highway is one of the busiest roads in East Africa, carrying thousands of vehicles daily, including trucks moving goods from the Port of Mombasa to Nairobi and beyond.
A faster, wider expressway could have transformed travel and trade, cutting journey times from 8 hours to less than 4 hours.
However, KeNHA stressed that transparency and accountability were at the core of the decision.
“KeNHA remains committed to strictly adhering to the provisions of the PPP Act, 2021, and further assures the public that it will endeavour to abide by the provisions of the PPP Act, 2021,” the Authority said.
This does not mean the dream is over. KeNHA has asked Everstrong Capital to restructure the proposal.
Instead of building a completely new expressway from scratch, the company could look into expanding the existing Nairobi-Mombasa highway to meet evaluation criteria.
If the revised plan passes the required checks, it could be resubmitted for a fresh review under Section 43 of the PPP Act.
The decision comes just two months after Everstrong Capital had confidently presented its 2300-page feasibility study to KeNHA.
The company’s Senior Advisor, Kyle McCarter, proudly described the report as:
“The most detailed and transparent feasibility study ever submitted to KeNHA.”
McCarter even gave the project a name, The Usahihi Expressway, which in Swahili means “correctness” or “accuracy.”
According to him, the report proved the expressway was investment-ready and execution-worthy.
“This is what an effective public-private partnership looks like: efficient, impactful, and future-focused. Kenya is raising the bar for infrastructure development,” McCarter added during the May 28 meeting in Nairobi.
The ambitious plan was expected to cost billions of shillings and would have been one of Kenya’s largest infrastructure projects ever funded through a public-private partnership.
If approved, it could have created thousands of jobs, boosted tourism at the coast, and cut transport costs for businesses.
But the rejection shows just how strict Kenya has become with major project proposals. Authorities are determined to avoid expensive mistakes or poorly structured deals that could burden taxpayers for decades.
Analysts say that while the decision might slow down progress, it could also push investors to present better, more transparent, and compliant proposals.
For now, the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway remains on hold, but the door is still open.
Everstrong Capital could go back to the drawing board, make changes, and reapply.
Infrastructure experts believe the government’s tough stance could encourage a new standard of accountability and quality for all future projects in Kenya.
Citizens, meanwhile, are eager to see a project that will finally end the traffic nightmares and long travel hours on the current road.
Whether it will be Everstrong Capital or another investor who finally gets the green light remains to be seen.
What is certain is that this project is too important for Kenya’s economy to remain in limbo for long.
