The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has invited qualified consulting firms to express interest in conducting a feasibility study and providing transaction advisory services for the proposed redevelopment of the Nairobi-Mombasa Road under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The consultancy will determine whether the proposed partnership is financially and technically viable and recommend how the project should be structured before a private investor is selected.
According to KeNHA, the assignment will be implemented in two stages over 15 months. The first phase will involve a six-month feasibility study assessing the road’s infrastructure, transport needs and potential PPP structure. This will be followed by a nine-month transaction advisory phase to guide the government through the process of structuring and securing a private-sector partner.
The assignment is expected to require 156 person-months of professional expertise, with 88 allocated to the feasibility phase and 68 to transaction advisory services.
The consultancy will be financed through World Bank funding under the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project. KeNHA said interested firms or consortiums must demonstrate sufficient technical and managerial capacity, relevant experience and access to qualified professionals, equipment and software required to undertake the assignment.
At the expression-of-interest stage, firms are only required to submit information necessary to demonstrate their qualifications and experience. KeNHA said documents such as certificates of incorporation, powers of attorney and translated brochures will not be required at this stage.
The proposed consultancy comes as the government seeks to modernise the Nairobi-Mombasa transport corridor, one of Kenya’s most important routes for transporting passengers and cargo between Nairobi, the Coast and the wider East African region. Under the plans, the existing 461-kilometre A8 highway is expected to be expanded into a minimum four-lane dual carriageway.
The feasibility study will assess the infrastructure requirements and determine how the expansion can be delivered through a PPP arrangement.
Following the feasibility assessment, transaction advisers will help the government develop the partnership structure and guide the process of attracting a suitable private-sector investor. The PPP model is expected to provide an alternative financing and delivery mechanism for the major road project while supporting long-term improvements along the Nairobi-Mombasa corridor.
The road initiative is also connected to the wider Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project, a World Bank-backed regional infrastructure programme. The broader project seeks to improve connectivity along the Isiolo-Mandera corridor through upgrades to sections of the 764-kilometre route, installation of fibre-optic infrastructure and development of social facilities, including schools and water infrastructure.
