The government has released a staggering Sh175 billion to clear pending bills, instantly breathing life into the stalled Mombasa-Kilifi and Mombasa-Mariakani mega-highways.

For months, the heavy machinery along the Coast’s arterial highways has stood silent, gathering rust and dust. Contractors, owed billions, had downed their tools, leaving the region’s "Silk Road" ambitions in limbo. That silence ended today. Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir announced the release of Sh175 billion, a massive capital injection raised through a special infrastructure bond/securitization of the Road Maintenance Levy.

This is not just an accounting entry; it is a resuscitation of the Coastal economy. The funds are earmarked to immediately settle verified arrears owed to contractors working on the Mombasa-Mariakani dual carriageway and the critical Mombasa-Kilifi (Mtwapa-Kwa Kadzengo) expansion.

The Economic Artery

The strategic importance of these roads cannot be overstated. They are the jugular veins of the Northern Corridor, feeding the Port of Mombasa’s cargo to the hinterlands of Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC. The stalling of these projects had created a logistical nightmare, with traffic snarl-ups costing the economy millions daily in lost hours and fuel.

“We have rolled out the funds, and we expect an immediate impact,” CS Chirchir stated from Mombasa.“The retrenched workers can now be recalled.The excavators can start moving. The gateway to East Africa is open for business again.”

A New Financing Model

The move represents a shift in how Kenya funds its infrastructure. By securitizing the fuel levy, the government has bypassed the sluggish traditional exchequer releases, opting for upfront cash to aggressively close the infrastructure gap.

• The Amount: Sh175 Billion.
• The Beneficiaries: Stalled projects in Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale.
• The Goal: Completion of the coastal dual carriageway system by 2027.

For the residents of Mariakani and Mtwapa, the news means the end of dust, diversions, and delays. For the national economy, it means the flow of goods—the lifeblood of the nation—will finally circulate freely once more.