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The construction and maintenance of non-motorised transport infrastructure will cost tax taxpayers Sh30.56 billion in the first year.

Proposal is contained in the Roads (Amendment) Bill 2023 sponsored by Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda.

Bill calls for construction of non-motorised transport facilities on both sides of the length of tarmac roads.

A brief from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) to the Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC) that approved the bill, said the cost of constructing the non-motorised facilities has been spread over a period of five years with annual inflation at five per cent.

According to the entity, the Sh30.56 billion applies to the first year of implementation of the law, which is expected to increase to Sh35.292 billion in the second year of implementation, Sh37.06 billion in the third year, Sh38.9 billion in the fourth year and Sh40.86 billion in the fifth year.

Currently, the length of tarmac road in the country is 21,826 kilometres of which 30 per cent have the non-motorised facilities among them Nairobi’s UN Avenue in line with the existing road facility.

 A kilometre of non-motorised facilities on both sides of the road costs approximately Sh10 million with the cost of maintenance at about 10 per cent of the construction cost.

Dedicated lanes

 But while defending the proposal before BAC, Lesuuda insisted that having non-motorised zones will lower the number of deaths attributed to road accidents involving non-motorised road users.

“This Bill aims at providing dedicated lanes separate from motor vehicle lanes. Its implementation will promote green mobility by minimising vehicle congestion, road accidents as well as the air and noise pollution from vehicles,” Lesuuda noted.

 She said that although the cost of implementing the facilities is high, the benefits it will bring to the country is massive.

 “The cost may be high but if you look at the number of Kenyans who have died on the roads, it is worth it,” she said.