Uhuru's aide joins first Kenyans to drive on elevated Nairobi Expressway [Video]

Transport CS James Macharia has announced that the Nairobi Expressway is likely to be opened to the public in April 2022 when President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to commission it.

He was speaking during an inspection of the road on Wednesday, September 29, 2021.

CS Macharia said that the project which is 64% complete will be subjected to test runs in March ahead of the launch.

"Test runs on the road will take place in March next year as we are confident that the contractors will have completed all works by February, " he said.

The contractors have been working day and night to speed up the construction which was initially scheduled for completion in 4 years.

The government officials who had gone to conduct the inspection, among them State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita, got a chance to drive of the elevated road, giving Kenyans a glimpse of how the experience and view will be.

The team had the privillige of driving from Westlands to the Museum Hill interchange and back. They became some of the first Kenyans to ever drive on the road.

Aerial view of the Nairobi Expressway Pulse Live Kenya

State House Chief of Staff said the Expressway was the penultimate piece in the Nairobi Traffic Masterplan.

Certain sections of the Nairobi Expressway have already been opened to the public in order to sort out the traffic mess the construction has caused.

Residents and motorists along Waiyaki Way, Uhuru Highway and Mombasa Road have had to deal traffic jams, power outages and water supply disruptions due to the ongoing construction.

"Yes, fellow Nairobians, the traffic from Mlolongo to the CBD is bad. However, it’s a short term inconvenience to allow for a permanent solution to the heavy inbound traffic to the city. In the meantime KeNHA has undertaken to improve the traffic flow management ASAP,” Nzioka Waita said.