Kenya's mega projects in 2026: what is being built, how far along it is, and who pays
An airport terminal, expressways, a stadium, Africa's tallest towers and hundreds of thousands of homes. Here is one page that tracks Kenya's biggest projects, their cost, their progress and the questions still being asked.
Kenya is in the middle of one of its biggest building drives since independence. Most projects are funded through public-private partnerships (PPPs), levies or market financing rather than direct government borrowing, which is why tolls, levies and long contracts keep coming up. Here is where the main ones stand.
The 2026 tracker
| Project | Cost | Status | Explainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| New JKIA terminal | KSh154bn | Planned; room for 22 million passengers a year | Read |
| Rironi–Naivasha–Mau Summit highway | KSh200bn (PPP) | Rironi–Naivasha four-lane section due to open early December 2026; tolls of KSh8–8.50 per km | Read |
| Raila Odinga (Talanta) stadium | KSh45.8bn | About 94% complete; due 31 December 2026 | Read |
| Kenyatta Avenue viaduct | About KSh3bn | More than 50% complete; due May 2027 | Read |
| Affordable housing programme | Funded by the 1.5% housing levy | 13,012 units complete (7,050 occupied) by October 2026; about 45,000 expected by end of 2026 | — |
| Nairobi–Thika expressway | To be confirmed | Planned | Read |
| Mombasa Road works and expressway plan | — | Works under way | Read |
| NSSF twin towers | — | Planned as East Africa's tallest building | Read |
| Nairobi CBD upgrade | — | Under way | Read |
Status as of 2 November 2026. We update each explainer as projects move.
Affordable housing, in brief
- Workers pay a 1.5% housing levy. In 2026 the Court of Appeal upheld the Affordable Housing Act, so collection continues.
- Units are split into tiers: social housing for people earning under KSh20,000 a month, affordable for KSh20,000–120,000, and market units for higher earners. Buyers pay a 5% deposit.
- Big sites include Mukuru (about 13,000 units) and Mathare in Nairobi, plus projects in Eldoret, Murang'a and elsewhere.
- Critics want a project-by-project audit, and some 2027 candidates have pledged to scrap the levy. Kenya needs about 200,000 new homes a year.
Four questions to ask about any mega project
- Who pays, and for how long? Tolls, levies and PPP contracts can last decades.
- Has the cost changed? The stadium rose from KSh35bn to KSh45.8bn.
- Is the timeline real? The Rironi road and the viaduct have both missed earlier dates.
- Who benefits? Jobs during construction are real, but the long-term test is whether the project is used and maintained.
Watch the video
Sources
- Christmas gift for buyers as 45,000 affordable houses ready by end of year, The Star (27 Oct 2026)
- Talanta Stadium to be ready by December 31, The Standard (1 Oct 2026)
- New Rironi–Naivasha road opening date revealed after lapse of October deadline, Kenyans.co.ke (31 Oct 2026)
- Kenyatta Avenue viaduct crosses 50% completion mark, Ruto announces, Kenyans.co.ke (1 Nov 2026)
- Government signs contract for JKIA modernization, State Department for Transport
