Kenya and by extension Africa, should urgently adopt the Unconstrained Vision which views human capabilities to be limitless and pursue one vision: to promote business in addressing the needs of Africa. One such immediate need in Nairobi is traffic jams!

It is estimated that traffic jams cost the economy 1.5 billion shillings in lost man-hours and fuel. The losses incurred are not only confined to fuel consumption but also to environmental pollution and stress. It takes an average of 40 minutes on main road arteries to cover a distance that one would ordinarily have done in less than two minutes. Key highways such as Mombasa, Thika, Ngong, Jogoo, Argwings Kodhek roads can cause delays up to two hours.

Traffic jams offer an excellent business opportunity for entrepreneurs to make millions of shillings. The City Council and the government of Kenya who own most of the roads in this country are not keen on employing new strategies to get citizens out of the jam. Supposing, businessmen put up parallel highways above the ground and asked all Kenyans tired of jams to use the fly-over option at a fee? Such "floating Roads" can help ease city jams and generate revenue to the government and city council through rent payment and profits to the concerned businesses.

While driving on the new concrete Mbagathi Highway, I noticed a banner announcing that the road was constructed with the use of cement donated by local companies in conjunction with the Kenya government. A number of people argue that a country such as Kenya ought to keep knocking the doors of World Bank and European Union to ask for aid because profit makers may never venture into areas without a market! But wait, if we encourage private companies to help put up "fly-over" highways for pay in order to ease traffic jams, Kenya's economy will prosper due to savings from fuel, time, and health due to clean environment. What about rural areas?

Thinking "inside the box" makes one to erroneously believe that building roads in rural areas will not be profitable. But, if one has been following the "Adopt-A-Light" street lighting concept, it appeared in 2002 as though it would only be confined to Nairobi's Central Business District. Kenyans have however seen it roll out to the highways, slums (poor areas) and small towns hundreds of kilometres away from Nairobi. The success and lucrative nature of this lighting innovation has led to a "battle" between the Nairobi City Council and "Adopt-A-Light." Street lighting which was a monument of shame during the Moi regime has become a much fought for business for Kenyan elites.

Thinking outside the box clearly projects a situation where business will still seek to build roads for profits or purposes of easing the flow of their goods even in rural areas. A friend of mine recently helped put up a two kilometer all weather road to his home at a cost of only Kshs 50,000 with the beneficiary community supplying labour! Kenyans should kick out donors who overload our system with conditionality and slow down ingenuity and innovation.

Citizens stuck up in the jam will be more willing to pay special rates to opt for paid fly-over escape route to the office. Other options will be to promote the business of trams that ply the city centre while encouraging motorists to park at least five kilometers away from downtown. Lighted streets and enhanced security will also encourage a walking nation. Kenyans, let us make money by offering solutions to challenges facing us!

This article first appeared in the Business Daily, a publication of the Nation Media Group