The elevated dual carriageway had created more than 6,000 direct jobs and benefited 200 subcontractors and hundreds of other local suppliers of building materials such as steel, sand, cement and ballast, it said.

Mark Marshall, one of the motorists who used the expressway on the day it was opened to the public, said it is a big relief especially for those like him who use Jomo Kenyatta International Airport regularly.

"I have previously missed a number of flights due to the traffic on Mombasa road on the way to the airport. However, I now have no more worries."

Construction of the road, which cost about $600 million, began in September 2020. Macharia thanked contractors for building the expressway in record time, having been completed a year ahead of schedule. Its impact will help the economy and have a very big effect on mobility, so it represents a new dawn for Kenya, he said.