Speed guns installed on Nairobi Expressway to tame accidents
Nairobi Expressway along Waiyaki Way, Westlands. The government has gazetted new charges starting January 1, 2023.
Speed guns and cameras have now been installed on the 27-kilometer-long Nairobi Expressway to check speeding and rogue drivers as part of the measures to curb overspending.
The operator of the expressway, Moja Expressway Company Limited, said in a notice on Tuesday that the guns placed at various points along the 27-kilometer dual carriageway will be operated by the police and urged motorists to observe the set speed limits.
“We have installed speed guns along various points of the Nairobi Expressway, which are operated by traffic police,” the company statement said.
“Kindly adhere to the prescribed speed limit of 80 km/hr.”
Moja Expressway, a subsidiary of the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) responsible for designing, financing, and building the highway, will maintain and operate the road for 27 years to recoup its investment through toll fees.
On her part, Moja Expressway Head of Public Relations Ms Jeanne May Ongiyo also confirmed that automatic speed cameras have been erected at several points along the roadway.
Ms Ongiyo said that the project was by the National Police Service (NPS) traffic police to curb speeding on the 27-kilometre overpass.
“Yes, there are speed cameras along various points of the Expressway which are operated by the traffic police. They measure the speed of the vehicle against the number plate. The information is then sent to the traffic command centre. Traffic officers along the roadway will then administer a punishment they deem fit, whether a verbal warning or issue a fine,” she said.
In July, the government promised to install speed cameras on the road with the speed limit set at 80kph.
The government said offenders would be fined Sh100,00 to enhance safety at the expressway.
In July, a video of two motorists dangerously speeding on the expressway amid the spike in accidents on the elevated roadway caused an uproar among members of the public.
In the footage shared on social media, the co-driver of one of the vehicles records the stunt, capturing the speedometer clocking 220 kilometres per hour.
The vehicle hits the top speed as it cruises past the Eastern Bypass exit which is barely five kilometres from the Mlolongo toll station which has seen several accidents.
Ahead of the vehicle is another driver who seems to be moving even at a higher speed as the one doing 220km/hr could not keep up with the speed.
The development follows increased traffic accidents and incidents involving commercial passenger vehicles along the expressway.
PSVs have since been banned from using the expressway.
After the expressway experienced accidents, the government installed rumble strips to warn drivers to slow down as they approach the toll gates.
The expressway is the first major project in the country to be carried out through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and was officially opened by former President Uhuru Kenyatta on July 31.
The road runs from Mlolongo through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Nairobi Central Business District to the Westlands area along Waiyaki Way.
The Sh89 billion highway has 11 interchanges at Mlolongo, Standard Gauge Railway, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Eastern Bypass, Southern Bypass, Capital Centre, Haile Selassie Avenue, Museum Hill, Westlands, and James Gichuru Road.
