Factors influencing the uptake of privately operated toll roads in Kenya - a case of Nairobi Expressway

Abstract

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged as a critical strategy for addressing infrastructure deficits in developing countries, including Kenya. The Nairobi Expressway, a landmark PPP toll road project, represented a significant milestone in Kenya’s infrastructure development, yet its long-term success hinged on public acceptance. This study investigated the factors influencing public uptake of the Expressway, focusing on affordability, trust in project governance, and awareness of the PPP model. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining surveys of 387 out of the targeted 400 respondents, with 194 users and 193 non-users. This was complemented by in-depth interviews of 12 key stakeholders, including government officials, private sector representatives, and PPP specialists from the Treasury. The findings revealed persistent affordability barriers, with 22.5% of non-users citing prohibitive costs as their primary deterrent, alongside moderate but fragile public trust undermined by transparency gaps in revenue management. Crucially, awareness of the PPP framework was strikingly low, with misinformation exacerbating scepticism. Correlation analysis demonstrated strong linkages between awareness and perceived benefits (r = 0.928), highlighting how knowledge gaps distorted value assessments. The study concluded that while the Expressway delivered operational efficiencies, its societal value was constrained by unaddressed equity and governance concerns. Key recommendations included dynamic toll pricing models to enhance affordability, mandatory transparency mechanisms to rebuild trust, and robust public education initiatives to bridge awareness gaps. These findings contribute to global PPP literature by underscoring the centrality of social dimensions not just technical performance in determining infrastructure project success in emerging economies. The study advocates for policy reforms that embed equity and participatory governance into Kenya’s PPP framework, offering lessons for future transport projects across the Global South. Ethical clearance was obtained from Strathmore University’s IREC and NACOSTI, with all participant protections adhered to. Keywords: PPPs, toll roads, public uptake, Nairobi Expressway, infrastructure affordability, trust, awareness, Kenya