US Firm Backs $3.5 Billion Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway to Transform Kenyan Transport

Massive US Investment Aims to Shake Up Kenyan Transport

Kenya is on the brink of a huge infrastructure transformation, and it’s driven by a US player aiming to redefine how goods and people move between Nairobi and Mombasa. Everstrong Capital, a US-based firm specializing in infrastructure investment, has secured backing to develop the massive $3.5 billion Usahihi Expressway, a 440-kilometer four-lane road stretching across the nation’s main economic artery.

The scale of this road project is hard to overstate. Not only will it connect Kenya's bustling capital with its busy port city, but this expressway could slash travel times between the two cities by hours. Right now, congested roads and unpredictable delays mean truckers and buses can take up to 12 hours to make the trip. With the new expressway, that journey might drop to just four or five hours, which is a complete game-changer for businesses and travelers alike.

The development was announced during President William Ruto’s state visit to the US in May 2024, highlighting just how much rides on this deal. For Kenya, it marks the first large-scale road project with direct US backing, and it comes at a time when global powers are vying for influence in Africa’s growing economies. The expressway stands in direct contrast to the Chinese-financed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which, while ambitious, hasn’t attracted the amount of freight traffic initially hoped for. Complaints about SGR’s cost, inflexible schedules, and operational issues have left road transport as the king of Kenyan logistics.

Now, with Everstrong Capital leading the charge, Kenya is banking on the project’s potential to supercharge trade routes not just within the country, but across the wider East African region. Industry watchers have been quick to call the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway a “gateway to East Africa,” positioning it as an upgrade Kenya has needed for decades.

How the Expressway Will Work—and Who Will Pay

Financing a $3.5 billion dream isn’t easy, but Everstrong has wasted no time rallying investment. An official signing ceremony in Nairobi sealed a Transaction Advisory and Placement Services Agreement—essentially giving the US firm the go-ahead to seek global equity, debt, and development finance for the project.

Plans call for construction to kick off in 2026. The goal is to wrap the whole thing up in about four years. Once operational, the expressway will run as a 30-year concession, a kind of “build-operate-transfer” deal that lets the company recoup costs through road tolls. But these aren’t tolls every driver will feel. Instead, the project is designed to tap into the steady flow of heavy commercial traffic and freight trucks rolling between the port and inland hubs. These tolls are expected to cover about three-quarters of the project’s running costs—a model similar to some US and European expressways.

For Kenyan businesses, especially those dealing in import and export, the new road means faster, more reliable logistics. The expressway is expected to stimulate economic zones along its route and spark new investments in manufacturing, agriculture, and services. With international experience behind them, Everstrong Capital’s team will be closely watched as they try to negotiate the common pitfalls of big infrastructure—land rights, relocation, environmental issues, and good old-fashioned politicking.

One thing's clear: the expressway isn’t just a road. It’s Kenya’s bold play to attract more global capital, loosen logistical bottlenecks, and tip the balance of East African trade even further in its favor. Within a few years, that drive between Nairobi and Mombasa might look—and feel—very different.