All you need to know about Rironi-Mau Summit project after Ruto launch

President William Ruto yesterday broke ground for the upgrade of Rironi-Mau Summit Road, even as he elaborated his grand infrastructure plans, promising to more than double the length of tarmacked roads in the country over seven years and extend the Standard Gauge Railway to Malaba beginning January next year.

When commissioning the Rironi-Mau Summit project at three separate locations along the highway, the President also said he would seek to fast-track construction, setting an ambitious commissioning date of June 1, 2027, just two months before the General Election slated for August 2027.

The timeline of about one year and seven months compares to the two years that the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) had originally projected for the project’s completion.

The project entails construction of the 175-kilometre road between Rironi in Kiambu County and Mau Summit in Nakuru County, as well as the upgrade of the 58-kilometre Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha Road. The entire project is expected to cost Sh200 billion.

A consortium of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) will build the 81-kilometre stretch between Rironi and Gilgil, as well as the 58-kilometre Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha Road. Construction of these two roads is expected to cost Sh112.2 billion ($863.09 million).

Burning vehicle

Another Chinese firm, Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International Engineering Ltd, will construct the 94-kilometre road from Gilgil to Mau Summit. The companies will finance construction and charge motorists to use the roads for a period of 28 years.

“This moment is not merely about laying down a new corridor. It is about laying the foundation for a Kenya reborn, a Kenya that refuses to wait any longer for the future it deserves,” he said, noting that the road upgrade has been in planning for nearly a decade but failed to take off.

He explained that the World Bank completed a feasibility study on the road in 2016.

The project was initially to be constructed by the Rift Valley Highway, a consortium of French firms, but the award was cancelled last year over concerns of high toll fees and unfavourable terms, including a requirement for the government to cover financial shortfalls. The government is set to pay the French firms Sh7.3 billion for contract cancellation.

President Ruto underscored the importance of the road, part of the Northern Transport Corridor, a key logistical artery for neighbouring countries.

“These upgrades will modernise the corridor, unlocking faster, safer, and more efficient movement of people and goods, not only across Kenya but across East and Central Africa.This route is a vital artery linking Nairobi to Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, sustaining our economy and powering regional trade and opportunity,” he said.

The Head of State announced that the project is expected to generate thousands of jobs, with 15,000 youth set to gain skills during construction. He emphasised that local businesses would play a central role, saying, “It will not only construct roads, but careers and futures.”

The President reiterated that construction would be fast-tracked, with expectations that the project would be launched in June 2027.

“From here in Rironi to Gilgil, we have agreed with the contractor (CRBC/NSSF) that this section will be complete in six months. The contractor will then start construction of the Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha road,” he said.

“The other contractor (Shandong) will build the road from Gilgil-Nakuru-Mau Summit, and I have said that I want to launch the complete project on Madaraka Day (June 1) 2027.”

As part of his ambitious infrastructure development plan, Ruto added that the government is seeking to extend the road to Malaba and Kisumu, with a feasibility study expected to start in 2027.

“When we complete this project in 2027, we will break ground for the road from Mau Summit to Malaba,” he said. Ruto also said the ground breaking is the first of many projects planned in the coming months.

He aims to construct 28,000 kilometres of roads over the next seven years as part of his grand infrastructure plan unveiled last week, which he said would cost a staggering Sh5 trillion.

Burning vehicle

“In the coming months, we will break ground on major dual-carriageway corridors, from Muthaiga to Kiambu and Ndumberi, from Machakos Junction to Mariakani, from Mau Summit to Kericho and Kisumu, and from Kisumu onward to Busia,” he said.

“This is how we correct a historic shortfall. Since independence, Kenya has tarmacked only 22,000 kilometres of road. Over a similar historical period, a nation such as Japan has built more than one million kilometres, highlighting the scale of our long-standing infrastructure gap,” Ruto added.

“I have directed the Ministry of Roads to build another 28,000 kilometres of tarmac within the next seven years. This will help address the transport infrastructure challenge in Kenya, enabling farmers to move produce from farms to markets and facilitating the export of goods.”

In addition to road upgrades, Ruto said the government would start extending the Standard Gauge Railway from Maai Mahiu to Malaba.

He added that this would make the railway, once dismissed as the “railway to nowhere,” more viable and “close the loop, connecting the region.”

Despite the ambition for the infrastructure development that Ruto said is “Kenya’s roadmap for a first-world economy”, his cash strapped administration could struggle to finance the ambition while alternatives such as the Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and securitisation of taxes have been criticised as mortgaging the country while increasing the cost of basics including transport.

The President yesterday explained the need to explore other funding mechanisms for his ambitious infrastructure projects, noting that reliance on debt and exchequer funding had stagnated the country’s infrastructure development. 

Additionally, the President said, Kenya is establishing a National Infrastructure Fund and a Sovereign Wealth Fund, drawing from budget allocations, privatisation proceeds, natural resource royalties, and private sector investment to sustain big ticket projects financially,

“This approach will reduce our dependence on debt and build long-term national wealth for generations to come,” Ruto said.

In addition, the president urged all partners, officials, and communities along the corridors to ensure quality and transparency, stressing that the impact of the projects goes beyond roads.

“This is not about the kilometres we pave. It is about the lives we change. The opportunities we unlock. The Kenya we dare to imagine, and finally choose to build,” he said.