Murkomen Defends Forcing Kenyans To Pay Millions To Repair Nairobi Expressway

Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen on Thursday, July 20 stood firm on his stance regarding how much taxpayers will have to spend on repairing the Nairobi Expressway.

Speaking during the issuance of title deeds at Etoro Ltungai Adjudication section, Isiolo County, Murkomen argued that over Ksh500 million will be used to repair the multi-billion expressway as well as the On-Board Unit (OBU) identification machines and toll stations.

The machines and equipment along the road, he added, were of vital importance to the operations of the road as well as revenue collection to supplement investors, complaining that Kenyans were taking his sentiments on making them pay for the damages sustained on the Expressway during the ongoing anti-government protests for granted.

An aerial view of Nairobi Expressway. /MOJA EXPRESSWAY

“I told Kenyans that we will pay nearly Ksh500 million to repair the expressway, but some are making jokes online because they don't understand. Those machines for scanning cars, allowing cars to access the road, and ensuring how much each car pays, are not cheap.

"They are not like the cooking pots the protestors put on their head. Those are very expensive machines that will require the taxpayer to pay the Nairobi Expressway investors,” Murkomen stated. 

The fees in damages for the Expressway were among billions taxpayers will have to bear in terms of burdens as the government seeks to repair infrastructure damaged during the Azimio la Umoja protests.

In Kisumu for instance, taxpayers would spend Ksh200 million to repair a few kilometres of roads damaged by potholes as a result of protestors burning tires in the middle of the roads. The heat generated from the burning tyres can melt the bitumen used in road construction. 

"The roads that have been burnt in Kisumu for the last two weeks will need not less than Ksh200 million to repair the potholes that have been created because of burning tires," added the CS.

Murkomen also lauded the actions of a Kenyan who filed a petition to have the organisers of the protests be compelled to pay for damages caused during the anti-government protests.