Mtwapa Road Project Accelerates as KeNHA Releases Sh4.3bn to Displaced Residents

Residents along the Mtwapa road project corridor are dismantling their own buildings as compensation payments arrive.

This signals renewed momentum on a Sh15 billion coastal road that has stalled for years due to land acquisition disputes.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) released Sh4.3 billion from the Fuel Levy Securitization Fund to the National Land Commission (NLC).

This money compensates Project Affected Persons (PAPs), residents, and landowners displaced by the construction. So far, Sh3.15 billion has already reached affected households.

Why Compensation Was the Biggest Obstacle

KeNHA Deputy Director and Project Coordinator Engineer Cleophas Makau says the NLC is progressing with disbursements. Residents are acting on the payments immediately.

“The National Land Commission is progressing with the compensation of the PAPs. They have done quite a lot of compensation.

I am sure you are seeing people who have been compensated,” Makau told journalists during a project inspection this week.

He added that residents are voluntarily removing their structures rather than waiting for contractors.

“Those who have buildings are demolishing the buildings themselves so that they can salvage the materials for use elsewhere. Therefore, even when we pay them, we give them notice,” he said.

Meanwhile, the most difficult stretch remains central Mtwapa. There, traders occupy road reserves that must be cleared before the dual carriageway widens.

 KeNHA says it is working through those relocations as compensation continues.

Construction Progress: Lot 1 and Lot 2

The road project runs in two lots. Lot 2 covers Mtwapa to Kwa Kadzengo to Kilifi and broke ground in 2021.

Lot 1 stretches from Nyali Bridge to Mtwapa Bridge and followed in November 2022. Both lots are behind their original schedules.

Currently, Lot 2 stands at 75 per cent complete, with a revised target of March 2027. Lot 1 stands at 56 per cent and targets August 2027. KeNHA says the compensation release aims to accelerate both lots.

Works on Lot 2 include a completed single carriageway from Kilifi to Kwa Kadzengo and three kilometres of dual carriageway toward Mtwapa. In addition, a weighbridge, a market at Takaungu, and three spur roads at Ronald Ngala, Shariani, and Takaungu fall within the project scope.

The New Bridge at Shimo la Tewa

The project’s centrepiece is a new 347-metre dual carriageway bridge at Shimo la Tewa Creek in Mtwapa. Construction is currently 47 per cent complete.

Importantly, KeNHA will not demolish the existing single-carriageway bridge. Instead, it will serve as a service road once the new crossing opens.

On Lot 1, a dual carriageway already runs to City Mall. Four interchanges and a U-turn at Bamburi are also complete. Furthermore, the full lot will include six grade-separated junctions, six footbridges, non-motorised transport facilities, and a 12-kilometre trunk drainage system.

Community Training for Affected Youth

Through the project’s Corporate Social Responsibility component, more than 500 youth from Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale counties have completed vocational training and graduated. KeNHA plans to grow that number as construction continues.

The African Development Bank, the European Union, and the Kenyan government jointly fund the project. It forms part of the broader Multinational Bagamoyo–Tanga–Horohoro and Lunga Lunga–Malindi road corridor. Consequently, the corridor strengthens East African coastal trade and cross-border movement.

Nevertheless, residents who have dismantled their homes to receive compensation say they are watching closely. They want to ensure payments reflect the full value of what they have lost.