Ruto: No loans taken for Rironi-Mau Summit road project

He said the road will be built in a Nairobi Expressway-like funding model

by JAMES MBAKA

News30 April 2025 - 14:45

In Summary

The project will follow the expressway model, allowing Kenyans to pay for road usage through tolls, with the contractor expected to recover costs from toll collections.
The project will upgrade the existing two-way single carriageway into a four-lane dual carriageway, significantly improving traffic flow.

*President William Ruto is received by Dr. Benard William Chitunga at the Cooperative University on April 30, 2025. PHOTO/X/Coperative University.*

President William Ruto has clarified that the country has not borrowed money to fund the expansion of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway.

Speaking at the Cooperative University on April 30, Ruto said the road will be built through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with no financial burden on the Kenyan government.

The President dismissed claims that he secured billions of shillings in loans during his recent state visit to China.

“When I was in China, many people thought I had gone to negotiate for more loans. However, we have developed alternative financing mechanisms that do not push the country into debt, which could endanger our future,” Ruto said.

“The road you saw listed—from Naivasha to Nakuru to Malaba—is not going to be built using government loans but through a toll infrastructure model under a public-private partnership.”

He spoke during a ceremony for the installation of Dr William Chituga as the university's Vice Chancellor.

The project will follow the expressway model, allowing Kenyans to pay for road usage through tolls, with the contractor expected to recover costs from toll collections.

The project will upgrade the existing two-way single carriageway into a four-lane dual carriageway, significantly improving traffic flow.

This upgrade is expected to ease transport and travel between Nairobi and Western Kenya, a corridor that frequently experiences severe traffic congestion, particularly on weekends and public holidays.

In March, the Cabinet announced that construction is expected to start in June and will take 24 months to complete.

“The project, which is set for completion within 24 months with a target date of June 2027, is part of Kenya’s broader infrastructure transformation aimed at enhancing connectivity across the country and the region while driving economic growth,” the Cabinet stated.

In December 2024, Ruto also pledged to dual the Naivasha-Nakuru-Malaba highway by 2027 through a Public-Private Partnership, following heavy traffic congestion during the festive season.

“The commitment I want to give you is that next year, we will begin the construction of a dual carriageway from Nairobi to Nakuru, and later extend it to Malaba,” Ruto said in Eldoret.