Nakuru – October 27, 2025
President William Ruto has announced that the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit Highway will be expanded to reach deeper into western Kenya, connecting Kericho, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Busia.
Speaking in Nakuru County during the launch of the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme, Ruto said the project would not stop at Mau Summit, as originally planned.
“Next month, the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit road will begin,” the president told the gathering. “I do not want the road to end at Mau Summit but to extend to Kericho, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Malaba.”
The announcement marks a significant expansion of one of Kenya’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, designed to improve regional connectivity and ease trade movement from Nairobi to western Kenya and the border with Uganda.
Financing through Public-Private Partnership
President Ruto defended the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model being used to fund the project, calling it “the only sustainable way” to deliver large-scale infrastructure without straining public finances.
“We cannot continue as usual if we want to achieve major development milestones,” he said. “That is why we have found it necessary to bring in the private sector.”
He added that the government’s current fiscal position could not support such massive investments under traditional budgetary methods. Instead, the state plans to explore new avenues, including a dedicated Infrastructure Fund to raise capital from local and international markets.
The president also urged lawmakers to speed up legislation to formalise the Infrastructure Bond, saying it would allow the government to “deliver development on time and within means.”
Road Design and Scope
The upgraded highway will feature a four-lane dual carriageway from Nairobi to Naivasha via Mai Mahiu, with a major interchange at Naivasha. From there, the Naivasha–Nakuru section will be expanded into a six-lane highway to handle heavy traffic flow.
Ruto said the project would ease congestion along the busy Nairobi–Nakuru corridor, cut travel times for both motorists and cargo transporters, and boost economic growth across the western region.
“This road will be the backbone of our regional trade,” he said, “linking farmers, traders, and manufacturers from Nairobi to the border counties.”
Green Light and Contractor Details
The National Treasury recently approved the construction of the Rironi–Mau Summit Expressway after its PPP Committee cleared a joint proposal by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The committee concluded that the project’s feasibility study met all required standards.
Tolling and Public Concerns
However, the use of private financing has drawn criticism from some quarters. The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has opposed the PPP deal, warning that it could lead to high toll charges and limit public access to affordable routes.
The group described the handover of construction and management to a private consortium as “discriminatory” and “a potential threat to national sovereignty.”
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has disclosed that motorists will pay at least KSh8 per kilometre to use the Rironi–Mau Summit section. The rate, it said, will be reviewed annually, with a 1 per cent increase to adjust for inflation and exchange rate changes.
For now, many Kenyans are watching closely — hopeful that the expanded road will bring economic opportunity, but wary of how much it might cost to drive on it.