Thika Road Expressway: The Sh200 Billion Elevated Road Plan Linking Thika to Nairobi

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki announced on October 30 that President William Ruto is expected to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony within one or two months.

The proposal involves constructing an elevated expressway above the existing Thika Superhighway, providing another route for motorists travelling between Thika and Nairobi.

The planned road will cover approximately 60 kilometres, connecting Thika Town through the busy Ruiru and Juja corridor towards Museum Hill.

Its design is intended to provide additional road capacity without completely replacing the existing highway.

Motorists would have the option of using the elevated road, while other traffic would continue using the current ground-level carriageway.

The expressway is also expected to connect with the Nairobi Expressway around Museum Hill, potentially improving movement between the Thika corridor and other major routes through the capital.

More capacity for Thika Road traffic

The Thika Superhighway was one of Kenya's major road infrastructure projects during former President Mwai Kibaki's administration.

Its expansion transformed movement between Nairobi, Ruiru, Juja and Thika, supporting residential development, businesses, educational institutions and industrial activity along the corridor.

However, population growth and the rapid expansion of towns along the route have increased traffic volumes.

Commuters now experience congestion during morning and evening peak periods, particularly around major interchanges and access points.

The growth of residential estates and commercial centres has also increased demand for public transport and freight movement.

An elevated expressway would provide another option for motorists travelling longer distances, potentially separating some through-traffic from local movements.

The extent of the improvement will depend on the final design, access arrangements and how the new road connects to existing interchanges.

The Sh150 billion to Sh200 billion question

The government intends to pursue a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to mobilise financing and deliver the infrastructure.

Under a PPP, a private investor may finance, construct and operate infrastructure under a contract with the public authority.

The agreement determines how the investor recovers the investment, how risks are shared and how the asset is eventually managed or transferred.

Kenya has already used this model for the Nairobi Expressway, which was developed under a design-finance-build-operate-maintain-transfer arrangement with a 30-year contractual term.

However, the Thika Road project should not automatically be assumed to follow the same agreement.

The government has not published a final financing structure, concession agreement, private investor or tolling schedule.

The Sh150 - 200 billion figure remains a preliminary estimate rather than an approved final construction budget.

The feasibility study

The project entered design and feasibility assessment in October 2026.

The study is expected to examine the proposed alignment, engineering requirements, traffic capacity, construction costs, environmental and social impacts, and the amount of land required.

These assessments will help establish whether the elevated road can be constructed along the existing corridor, where additional access or supporting infrastructure may be necessary, and how construction can be undertaken without causing excessive disruption to motorists.

The findings will also inform the government's procurement and financing decisions.

A project of this size requires more than a groundbreaking ceremony.

It needs a financially viable agreement, appropriate environmental approvals, land arrangements and a construction plan that can accommodate existing traffic.

Will motorists pay tolls?

The government has not announced whether the proposed Thika Road Expressway will charge motorists a toll or how much a journey might cost.

If the project adopts a toll-based PPP arrangement, the charges would need to be provided for under the final contract and applicable regulatory framework.

The Nairobi Expressway offers one example of a toll-road model in Kenya, but its tariff structure cannot simply be applied to the planned Thika route.

The affordability of the final charges will be an important consideration for commuters who already spend significant amounts on daily transport.

What happens next?

Kindiki's latest announcement places the expected groundbreaking within the next one to two months, although the date remains subject to completion of the necessary project preparations.

Once the feasibility and design work is completed, the government will need to advance the financing, procurement and other approvals required for implementation.

The project could become a major addition to Nairobi's road network, particularly for people living and working along the Thika corridor.

For now, the focus is on converting the proposed 60-kilometre route into a bankable and technically sound infrastructure project.