President William Ruto has announced the expansion of the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit road project, revealing plans to extend the highway all the way to the Busia border.
Speaking on Monday, October 27, he said the long-awaited project will kick off soon after the commissioning in November.
"Next month, the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit road will begin. I do not want the road to end at Mau Summit but to extend to Kericho, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Malaba," he said.
Ruto said that the government has developed an innovative financing model that will enable the project to proceed without overburdening public finances.
He explained that the initiative will rely on collaboration with private sector partners under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework.
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"We are starting next month because we have put in place a special plan that brings the private sector into road construction. If we had said we would use only government budget funds for that road, we wouldn’t have been able to build it," he added.
This comes a week after Ruto announced an expansion plan that will see the government dual over 1,000 kilometers of major highways across the country.
Speaking during Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kitui County on Monday, October 20, the Head of State noted that the plan draws inspiration from the late Raila Odinga’s vision for Kenya’s infrastructure growth.
Ruto noted that Raila, who once served as the Minister for Roads, Public Works and Housing, consistently underscored the role of quality transport systems in driving economic prosperity.
"Raila Odinga who also served as the Minister for Roads, Public Works and Housing, often reminded me that no economy can flourish without world class infrastructure.
"It is in this context that we have committed to dual at least 1,000 kilometres of major highways including the Rironi-Nakuru-Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba road, Makutano-Embu-Meru road, Kitengela-Namanga road, Mombasa-Nairobi highway and Maroa-Nanyuki-Isiolo road among others," he said.
Beyond the major highways, Ruto revealed that the government plans to construct thousands of kilometers of new tarmac roads.
He said the project will not only enhance efficiency in road transport but also stimulate business and ease the movement of goods and people.
"We will construct an additional 10,000 kilometres of new tarmac roads linking counties, farmers, traders and manufacturers to markets across the nation and complete the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Kisumu and onwards to Malaba, seamlessly connecting Kenya to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and DRC," he added.
