NAIROBI, Kenya — Revenue generated by the Nairobi Expressway rose by 7.3 per cent in the first half of 2026, highlighting continued demand for the toll road despite persistent concerns over user charges.
Motorists paid nearly Sh3.9 billion in toll charges during the six months to June 30, according to financial disclosures by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the parent company of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).
CCCC reported that the Nairobi Expressway generated RMB204 million in operating revenue during the period, up from RMB190 million in the corresponding period of 2025.
Based on the figures in the disclosure, the project’s revenue increased from approximately Sh3.6 billion in the first half of 2025 to about Sh3.9 billion this year.
The growth provides an insight into the financial performance of one of Kenya’s largest public-private partnership infrastructure projects.
Nairobi Expressway revenue continues to grow
The latest figures place the Nairobi Expressway among CCCC’s revenue-generating concession projects around the world.
The company said the project had accumulated investment of approximately RMB4.681 billion by the end of June 2026.
CCCC also disclosed that the concession period remains 27 years, with about 4.1 years already completed.
Under the concession arrangement with the Kenyan government, the operator is expected to recover its investment through toll collections before eventually handing the road back to the State.
The increase in revenue suggests that demand for the expressway has remained relatively strong despite periodic public debate over the cost of using the road.
The filings, however, do not provide a project-specific breakdown of traffic volumes, operating expenses or net profit.
As a result, the latest revenue figures alone do not establish how profitable the Nairobi Expressway has been for its operator.
27-kilometre toll road links Mlolongo to Westlands
The 27-kilometre Nairobi Expressway was constructed by CRBC above sections of Mombasa Road and Uhuru Highway.
The road connects the Mlolongo area with Westlands, providing motorists with a faster alternative to sections of Nairobi’s heavily congested ground-level road network.
It has become particularly important for motorists travelling between the airport corridor, Nairobi’s central business district and the western suburbs.
The expressway’s ability to offer more predictable journey times has made it an important transport corridor for commuters, commercial operators and business travellers.
Chinese operator’s concession model
The Nairobi Expressway is operated by Moja Expressway Company, a CRBC subsidiary established to manage the road under the concession agreement.
The arrangement is based on a public-private partnership model in which the private operator finances and operates the infrastructure and recovers its investment through toll revenues over the concession period.
The road therefore represents one of Kenya’s most prominent examples of private-sector participation in major transport infrastructure.
The long-term concession also means the operator has to balance investment recovery, operating costs and traffic demand over several years.
Nairobi Expressway forms part of global portfolio
CCCC’s disclosure also provides a wider picture of the Nairobi project within the Chinese infrastructure company’s concession business.
The company’s entire portfolio of operating concession projects generated approximately Sh74.8 billion in revenue during the first six months of 2026.
The Nairobi Expressway accounted for about Sh3.9 billion of that amount.
The same portfolio recorded a net loss of approximately Sh18.4 billion during the period, although CCCC did not provide a project-by-project breakdown showing whether the Nairobi Expressway contributed to that loss.
In the corresponding period of 2025, the concession portfolio generated about Sh79.7 billion, while the Nairobi Expressway contributed approximately Sh3.6 billion.
The comparison shows that while revenue from the Nairobi project increased, overall revenue from CCCC’s concession portfolio declined year on year.
Revenue growth does not equal profit
The latest disclosure is significant because it shows that the Nairobi Expressway is generating increasing operating revenue, but it leaves several questions about the project’s financial performance unanswered.
CCCC did not disclose the expressway’s specific operating costs, financing expenses or net profit for the first half of the year.
This distinction is important because revenue represents money generated by the project before expenses are taken into account.
The cost of operating and maintaining the road, financing the original investment and meeting other obligations under the concession would affect the eventual profitability of the project.
Consequently, the Sh3.9 billion revenue figure should not be interpreted as the operator’s profit.
Toll charges remain contentious
The rise in revenue comes despite continued complaints from some motorists over expressway toll charges.
Tariff reviews and the cost of using the road have periodically generated public debate, particularly among frequent users who depend on the expressway for daily travel.
For motorists, the decision to use the road is often based on whether the time saved justifies the toll charged.
For the operator, however, toll collections remain central to recovering the multibillion-shilling investment made under the concession.
This creates an inherent balance between keeping the road attractive to motorists and generating sufficient revenue to support the long-term financial model.
