Kenya Can Build Nairobi BRT Without Foreign Aid

Media reports show that America has cancelled a Sh7.5 billion deal signed during President Biden’s administration to support the long-awaited Nairobi Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

Signed in September 2023 and ratified in May 2024, the deal would have had the US invest Sh5.8 billion in safer, greener transport, including BRT lanes, pedestrian paths, gender-inclusive facilities, and buses.

The Kenyan government was to contribute Sh1.56 billion.

The programme was expected to run until June 2027 and to strengthen urban planning, economic growth, and accessibility for underserved groups.

The cancellation is part of a wider rollback of US foreign aid under President Trump, who has moved to eliminate more than 90 percent of USAID’s contracts globally. 

In Kenya alone, terminated contracts now exceed Sh108 billion. 

RELATED: ‘Team Europe’ to Build Sh47bn Green BRT in Nairobi

The BRT project, a flagship component of Nairobi’s transport master plan, has already stalled due to funding shortfalls, delaying payments to contractors.

The termination of the deal with the US offers a hard lesson, as overreliance on foreign aid for critical infrastructure is risky. The Sh7.5 billion project is within Kenya’s fiscal capacity.

Prioritising it domestically would not only secure its completion but also save the economy millions lost to traffic delays—estimated at several hundred million shillings daily.

Originally, part of the project was to be funded through Chinese loans, while the Korean Exim Bank later committed Sh7.3 billion for BRT Line 5. However, none of these pledges has moved the project forward.

It is now obvious that Nairobi cannot rely on external support for its transport future. Kenya must take charge, invest locally, and act decisively to deliver a sustainable transport system.

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