KeNHA announces partial closure of Mombasa Road - details

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has announced a temporary partial closure of a section of Mombasa Road (A8) at Cabanas – Eastern Bypass off-ramp.

KeNHA in a public notice dated September 10, 2026, said the closure is to allow for construction works.

According to the notice, the affected section is the Eastern Bypass off-ramp on the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)-bound side.

The closure will take effect from Thursday, September 17, and run until Thursday, October 22, 2026.

KeNHA said the closure will facilitate the construction of a box drain along the road section.

Motorists travelling towards JKIA from the Eastern Bypass will be required to use a designated diversion lane during the construction period.

“The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) notifies the public that a section of Mombasa Road (A8) at the Cabanas on the Eastern Bypass Off-Ramp on JKIA bound, will be temporarily closed partially from Thursday, September 17, 2026, to Thursday, October 22, 2026,” the notice reads.

“All Motorists intending to use Mombasa Road (JKIA bound) from Eastern Bypass will use provided diversion lane and follow the proposed directions by traffic marshals to ensure minimal traffic disruption in compliance with road safety measures.”

Motorists were further advised to follow the proposed traffic management plan as well as cooperate with the police and traffic marshals on site.

According to KeNHA, normal traffic operations on the road will be restored upon completion of the works.

The agency has previously announced similar partial closures along Mombasa Road to facilitate box culvert and drainage works.

Earlier this week, MOJA Expressway clarified that the Westlands exit on the Nairobi Expressway remains fully open and operational, addressing confusion following heavy morning traffic along Waiyaki Way.

The clarification follows gridlock experienced by commuters on Wednesday morning, which many attributed to vehicle diversions from the elevated highway.

According to MOJA Expressway, ongoing maintenance activities are located past the Westlands Exit on the elevated overpass deck. As a result, drivers exiting at the Westlands toll station are unaffected by the work ahead.

"Please be informed that the Nairobi Westlands Exit remains fully open and operational. The scheduled maintenance is taking place past the exit, so traffic exiting at the toll station will not be affected," the operator stated.

The confusion stemmed from an earlier advisory issued on September 7 regarding construction work along the elevated section directly after the Westlands Exit:

Maintenance Period is said to be from 8:00 PM on September 8, 2026, through 5:00 PM on September 20, 2026.

Drivers exiting at Westlands are instructed to join the lower A8 road on Waiyaki Way.

The congestion on Waiyaki Way is further heightened by separate, ongoing infrastructure projects on the lower road.

KeNHA previously implemented a partial closure of the carriageway between Karuna Close and the Westlands Roundabout for footbridge construction, which is set to continue until September 25.

While work on both the lower A8 road and the elevated deck past the exit will proceed over the coming weeks, MOJA Expressway reassures motorists that the Westlands toll exit itself remains accessible.

Meanwhile, more motorists are turning to the Nairobi Expressway, helping push the road’s average daily revenue to Sh21.5 million as its operator recorded higher earnings in the first half of 2026.

According to financial updates from China Communications Construction Company (CCCC)—the parent entity of concessionaire China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC)—the expressway generated RMB 204 million (Sh3.9 billion) between January and June 2026.

This marks a 7.4% growth compared to the RMB 190 million (Sh3.6 billion) earned during the same period in 2025.

The project has become a notable feature in CCCC's international portfolio. Concession activities across CCCC brought in RMB 3.936 billion (Sh74.6 billion) in H1 2026, with the Nairobi Expressway accounting for roughly 5.2% of that total.

Across the group's broader global business, which recorded RMB 333.16 billion (Sh6.4 trillion) in overall revenue, the Kenyan road contributed about 0.061%. Cumulative investment in the project reached RMB 4.7 billion (Sh89.3 billion) by June 2026.

Data from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Directorate shows average daily usage reached 67,298 vehicles in the 2024/25 financial year, up from approximately 59,000 daily vehicles two years prior and

far above the initial 11,000 daily vehicles at launch. Total volume reached 12.5 million vehicles in the first six months of FY 2024/25 alone.

Despite expanding revenue and traffic, high operational and capital costs continue to weigh on profitability. National Treasury records indicate the concession logged a Sh1.84 billion net loss in the six months ending December 2024, as total expenses—including debt service, maintenance, and operations (Sh9 billion)—outpaced toll collections (Sh7.16 billion).

Analysts point out that while the 27-year toll arrangement under the 30-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model has proven highly effective at attracting traffic, ongoing debt obligations and foreign-exchange exposure present long-term financial hurdles before the asset is handed back to the state.