Kenyan President William Ruto's landmark visit to the US this week has resulted in the signing of several major infrastructure deals encompassing roads, housing, power and the digital economy.

It was the first state visit to Washington by an African leader in 16 years. The standout deal concerned the development of the US$3.6 billion Nairobi-Mombasa expressway project.

Kenya Highways Authority (KeNHA) signed a project development agreement with Everstrong Capital that hands over full development rights of the Nairobi-Mombasa expressway to the US firm and its partners.

The project, which is structured as a public-private partnership (PPP) with revenue to come from road users, involves building a 440km, four-to-six-lane dual-carriageway, creating a corridor between Kenya’s capital Nairobi and its principal port in Mombasa. The expressway will replace the current two-lane winding road between the two cities, cutting the travel times from about 10.5 hours to about 4.5 hours.

The expressway will feature rest stops, wildlife observation points, electric vehicle charging infrastructure powered by renewable energy and overpasses to facilitate safe wildlife migration. Construction is planned to take between three and four years to complete.

The new road will be the inaugural segment of the Northern Corridor, linking Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the Port of Mombasa.

The Usahihi Consortium, the project company, will organise the financing, construction, tolling, operation and maintenance of the expressway under a 30-year concession. Usahihi translates to 'done correctly' in Swahili,

The scheme is expected to attract investments totalling US$3.6 billion, sourced from international investors, development agencies, pension funds and Kenyan private investors.

“More than just a road, the Usahihi expressway sets a standard for transparent, sustainable, and community-centred development, fostering economic growth and environmental protection, serving as a global inspiration for ethical development,” said President Ruto.

“It embodies a commitment to transparency, hard work and the empowerment of Kenyan citizens by engaging them as users, owners and investors, creating a cycle of localised benefits and ensuring communities directly reap the rewards of their investment and participation.”

The Usahihi Consortium comprises infrastructure investment manager Everstrong Capital as well as engineering, procurement, and construction contractors and a South African toll road operations company. According to Everstrong Capital, the team will be reinforced by technical, legal and financial consultants and advisers that have overseen more than 20 toll road projects across Africa.

“This stretch of road is vital for Kenya’s continued economic growth and a new highway will be safer for all drivers, passengers and pedestrians who depend on this important corridor for work, pleasure, and living,” said Meg Whitman, US ambassador to Kenya.

Previously, Everstrong Capital initiated the Everstrong Kenya Infrastructure Fund (EKIF), dedicated to financing projects in energy, transport, communications and social infrastructure within East Africa. The company has also been involved in major infrastructure projects including the Athi River power project and the Lake Turkana wind scheme.

Also during President Ruto’s state visit, the US’ Virunga Power announced six run-of-river hydropower projects in advanced stages of development in Kenya. With a total investment of US$100 million, the plants will be constructed in sequence over the next five years and will provide 31MW of baseload energy for western and central Kenya, enabling new connectivity and industrial and economic growth in rural areas.

The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced a new financing package of US$250 million that includes several multimillion-dollar commitments for critical projects in Kenya.

These include a US$180 million commitment to Acorn Holdings to finance the construction and operation of student rental housing in Nairobi and across Kenya. The project will receive early-stage support from USAID and Prosper Africa in addition to financing from DFC. The DFC investment is expected to catalyse an additional US$360 million in local Kenyan investment.

A letter of intent was also signed between US technology provider Microsoft, UAE-based artificial intelligence developer G42 and Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy regarding a series of investments including a previously announced green data centre at Olkaria.

The data centre will be powered by geothermal energy and is planned to become operational within 24 months of the signing of the definitive agreements.

Meanwhile, the US’ Coca-Cola Company agreed to invest US$175 million in its operations in Kenya.

Other agreements and investments concerned developing a semiconductor ecosystem in Kenya, corruption and police reform, plastics recycling, literacy, fisheries, healthcare and defence.

In addition, the two governments announced the launch of a US-Kenya Climate and Clean Energy Industrial Partnership to elevate climate action and green industrialisation as a critical pillar of their bilateral relationship. They pledged to leverage their advantages in the clean energy sector and to develop resilient value chains for low-emission goods and services, including electric vehicle supply chains and e-mobility, carbon capture and storage technologies, green agricultural processing, clean cooking technologies and green data centres.

The governments also officially launched the Kenya Urban Mobility and Growth Threshold Programme, with US$60 million in economic assistance through the US government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).The programme focuses on supporting improvements in urban land use, strengthening the planning and preparation of more integrated transport systems, and investing in clean public transport and safer transport options in the capital Nairobi.

US and Kenyan officials further intend to sign a memorandum of understanding to build a 3km runway at the Manda Bay airfield in coastal Kenya. The aim is to provide the Kenyan government the required infrastructure to increase operations against the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.