Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Wednesday announced he had acquired €320 million (Ksh43 billion at the current exchange rate) from three European banks to fund the Clean Core Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line 3 in Nairobi.
Sakaja made the announcement on X after hosting a delegation from all three banks at his office.
“Received a delegation from the European Investment Bank, French Development Agency and the E.U. earlier today,” Sakaja stated.
“Our partners, the EIB, AFD and EU have approved 320 million Euros financing for the Clean Core Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) LINE 3 in Nairobi.”
A Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) station under construction along Thika Road at Safari Park footbridge
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KeNHA
The Clean Core BRT will be constructed in two phases starting with a 12-kilometre stretch that will traverse the city from East to West, through the Dandora to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
The second phase will connect Tala to Dandora and KNH to Ngong.
The deal with the three institutions was first signed during President William Ruto’s trip to Belgium in March 2023 where he acquired €347.6 million (Ksh47 billion in current exchange rate).
Kipchumba Murkomen, the then Transport Cabinet Secretary signed the deal with European Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen paving the way for the injection of €281.3 million (Ksh38 billion in current exchange rate).
“By supporting the implementation of a safe, clean, high quality and efficient public transport system in Nairobi, Team Europe is the key partner in Kenya’s green transition,” the European Commission said in a statement.
In that deal, the European Union (EU) committed €45 million (Ksh6 billion at the current exchange rate) in grants while the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French Development Agency AFD committed €236.3 million (Ksh32 billion at the current exchange rate).
The Government of Kenya also committed €66.3 million (Ksh9 billion at the current exchange rate) to the project.
“The EIB welcomes today’s milestone agreement with President Ruto and looks forward to finalizing €201 million (Ksh27 billion at the current exchange rate) support for the visionary Nairobi BRT scheme through EIB Global,” Thomas Östros, Vice-President of the EIB said at the time.
The project will not only work as part of Kenya’s climate change mitigation plan but also introduce an intelligent transport system, affordable fare setting, inclusion of access to the public transport system for youth, women, and low-income households, and innovative concepts to address commuter safety.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja together with Millenium Challenge Corporation Deputy CEO Chidi Blyden at his Nairobi office on February 17, 2024.
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Johnson Sakaja