President Kenyatta commissions Ngong Road expansion

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday presided over the launch of the first phase of the 2.6 kilometre Ngong Road that will upgrade it to a dual carriageway.

The road, which will be constructed with the support of a 1.3 billion shillings grant from the Japanese government, will secure safe and smooth traffic between the west side of the city, the central area and the east side.

Speaking during the occasion, President Kenyatta said Nairobi is clogged because investment in its infrastructure has not matched its growth over the years.

“Lack of investment is expensive: you may have heard that congestion costs Nairobi approximately Ksh 147 billion a year, a figure that doesn’t take into account the environmental and psychological costs that Nairobians must bear,” the President  said.

“Kenyans will not sit in traffic for hours every morning.  Much of our cargo traffic will move by rail, rather than road, freeing up space on our roads.”

President Kenyatta called on the Nairobi County leadership and other devolved units to ensure that installations along the roads earmarked for improvement are properly marked to minimize disruptions.

He also called on Kenyans along the roads under construction to cooperate.

The dual carriageway will also reduce transportation costs by alleviating congestion, and secure convenience and safety of pedestrians by setting up sidewalks.

The President was flanked by Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Toshitsugu Uesawa, Transport CS James Macharia, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero among other government officials.

Additional reporting by PSCU