Rironi-Naivasha Highway to be fully dualled by October 30, says CS Chirchir

Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has announced that the dualling of the Rironi-to-Naivasha section of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Highway is on track for completion and opening to traffic by October 30, 2026

Speaking on Wednesday, September 9, Chirchir said works on the section were at an advanced stage and would be completed within the next one and a half months. The Rironi–Naivasha stretch will ease traffic along the congested Northern Corridor.

“By October 30 this year, from Rironi to Naivasha, we will have completed the dualling, and people will be able to pass smoothly. There will be no more traffic on that route,” Chirchir said.

Following the completion of the Rironi–Naivasha segment, Chirchir said that construction will move toward Gilgil, Nakuru, and ultimately Mau Summit.

The full Sh183 billion Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project covering the extended highway to Mau Summit is targeted for completion by June 2027.

Once open, motorists using the Rironi–Naivasha dualled highway are expected to pay a toll rate of Sh8 per kilometer between Rironi and Naivasha and Sh8.50 per kilometre between Naivasha and Mau Summit.

The CS also highlighted significant progress on the Kamandura section near Rironi, noting that despite being one of the most complex and difficult portions of the route, it has now been successfully transformed to allow smoother movement.

“There in Rironi, a place called Kamandura, it was impassable, and it was a very complex place, but we have now transformed the place,” he said.

China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), partnering with Kenya's National Social Security Fund (NSSF) in a consortium, is constructing the primary stretch from Rironi through Naivasha to Gilgil, as well as the alternative Rironi–Maai Mahiu–Naivasha route.

(Gilgil to Mau Summit): Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International Engineering Co. is executing the remaining section running through Nakuru to Mau Summit.

This dual-contractor Public-Private Partnership (PPP) strategy allows work to progress simultaneously across the 233-kilometer corridor under a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Maintain, and Transfer (DBFOMT) concession model.

The project also includes grade-separated interchanges and bypasses at selected sections, modern tolling infrastructure, and Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS).

President William Ruto officially launched the dualling of Rironi–Mau Summit Road on Friday, November 28, 2025, in Kiambu County marking the first site of this landmark infrastructure project.

He was joined by CS Chirchir, Principal Secretary for Roads Eng. Joseph Mbugua, and a host of National and County Government officials.

According to the Ministry of Roads and Transport, the highway to link East Africa to the Western and Northern corridors, unlocking markets for farmers, facilitating trade across regions, and improving access to schools, health centers, and emergency services.