By Judith Gicobi
Kenyans may soon have to delve deep into their pockets if they cause destruction of property along the Nairobi Expressway, with fines reaching Ksh8 million.
An representative from Moja Expressway, the corporation in charge of administering and maintaining the flagship project, told a local daily that the paperwork containing the costs is now being discussed and will be provided to the public in due time.
Nevertheless, according to a section of the expressway road management manual, motorists will be fined for damages to car detectors, flower pots, and other items.
Damage to the cantilever changeable information board will incur road users Ksh8, 766,742, per the paper, while damage to the microwave vehicle detector will cost one Ksh1, 221,809.
Lane cameras will cost Ksh167, 506 in damages, while the plate detector would cost Ksh249, 994. A flower box will set you back Ksh5, 905, whereas the lawn beneath the elevated area would set you back Ksh645 per square meter.
“Road property polluted by gasoline, diesel, engine oil, or other types of oil; industrial wastewater, oil, alkali, and other chemical substances will cost Ksh6, 939 per square meter,” read the document in part.
Following a stakeholder meeting on road management, the charges sheet emerged.
On the 27-kilometer road, graffiti and photography are prohibited.
“The purpose of the highway is to reduce traffic. If some people will be stopping so that they can take photos, that will create a snarl-up. The speed limit is 80 kilometers per hour. Stopping is not really practical,” one official previously told the local daily in an interview.
In the midst of the debate over the steep penalties, the first accident on the highway occurred on Saturday, May 7, when a saloon car lost control, crashing into the barriers and ultimately toppling on a section of road along Mombasa Road.
The driver was speeding on the main road before hitting the highway fence and toppling on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s favorite project, according to reports.
