The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has come out strongly against a proposed elevated expressway over the Thika Superhighway, describing the state’s plan as wasteful and unnecessary.
In a statement, the lobby group said the recent government announcement was “not only misguided” but “an insult to sound urban planning, fiscal responsibility, and the millions of Kenyans who rely on this vital artery every single day.”
MAK called the proposal “untenable, superfluous, unnecessary, and a betrayal of the public good.”
The association’s central argument is that the Thika Road already functions as an expressway. It said suggesting another expressway on top of it “betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of basic civil engineering,” noting that a superhighway is, by definition, an expressway, freeway, motorway or autobahn.
MAK pointed to several features it says already support high-speed, uninterrupted traffic flow.
The group questioned the value of building over a road it considers fully functional. “Adding a multi-billion-shilling concrete deck on top of a fully functional 12-lane masterpiece is an exercise in redundancy,” MAK said.
The statement, authored by MAK, is the first in what appears to be a series of arguments against the plan, and is titled “The Absurdity of an Expressway Over a Superhighway: Why the Thika Road Plan Must Be Rejected.”
The government has yet to respond to the association’s position in the material available. The Thika Superhighway is among Kenya’s busiest commuter corridors, linking Nairobi to Thika and the surrounding satellite towns, and any major construction on it is likely to draw intense public interest.
