President William Ruto has launched a Ksh19 billion expansion of the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, a project funded by an EU loan under the Global Gateway Initiative.
The move marks a major step in modernising the nation's busiest trade and transport corridor.
The expansion project, which will upgrade the stretch from Kwa Jomvu to Mariakani, is expected to ease congestion and improve safety along a road that carries heavy commercial and commuter traffic daily. The loan is to be used to upgrade the road section from Kwa-Jomvu to Mariakani from a predominantly two-lane road into a four- and six-lane dual carriageway.
The government says the highway is a critical lifeline for both domestic trade and regional integration in East Africa.