Kenya Is Spending Sh45 Billion to Put AI Behind Nairobi's Traffic

Kenya is spending Sh45 billion to put Nairobi's traffic under one digital system.

President William Ruto outlined the project in June 2026 at the opening of the Ngong Road-Naivasha Road Flyover, describing it as a major investment in smart urban mobility, according to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.

The project is being delivered in three phases. Phase one covers 25 junctions for Sh7.9 billion. Phase two adds 60 junctions for Sh13 billion, while phase three covers the remaining 125 for Sh24 billion. South Korea's Samsung C&T is handling phase one, with later phases drawing partly on South Korean and Chinese financing.

All three phases will feed a Traffic Management Centre at City Cabanas on Mombasa Road. KURA staff, police and engineers will monitor live traffic data and adjust signal timing remotely.

A February 2024 Cabinet dispatch approving the project said the goal was to eliminate human intervention in traffic control and streamline payment of traffic penalties.

Nairobi already has cameras and sensors across parts of the city. The ITS connects them. Cameras, radar units and vehicle detectors at 210 junctions will feed data into a single control room.

The system will also connect to a Vehicle Enforcement System that automatically issues citations for offences such as running red lights and making illegal turns, with data sent to the National Transport and Safety Authority.

That creates a legal question the government has already encountered.

In March 2026, NTSA rolled out a nationwide camera-based system that used number-plate recognition to issue fines by SMS without an officer present. The High Court suspended it days later after petitioners challenged the system under Article 50 of the Constitution, according to JURIST.

The Nairobi ITS will operate at a much larger scale, making reliable vehicle identification and legally defensible automated citations important parts of the project.

In July 2026, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner issued its first transport-sector guidance, including requirements around local data storage and data protection officers. Public project documents do not make clear how the ITS fits into those requirements.

The bigger question, however, is what Nairobi gets for Sh45 billion. Nairobi was recently ranked the second most congested city in Africa, with commuters spending around an hour on a typical trip. While the system can detect congestion and poorly timed signals. It cannot add lanes or redesign roads.

Phase one is due for completion in February 2027.