President Ruto Revises Deadlines for Two Major Highway Corridors

The national government has revised the completion schedule for the expansion of the Rironi to Mau Summit road, bringing forward the targets for key sections of the highway.

Speaking during an event in Kiambu County, President William Ruto confirmed that the Rironi to Naivasha segment is now scheduled to reach completion by August this year.

The announcement alters previous project schedules, compressing the delivery timeline for the initial phases of the corridor.

According to the updated schedule, the full dualling of the entire Rironi to Mau Summit alignment is projected for final completion by April 2027.

The infrastructure upgrade is managed through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, drawing financing outside traditional budgetary allocations.

The consortium handling the works includes the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

Engineering works on the ground involve converting the heavily congested single carriageway into a dual carriageway.

The design framework specifies a four-lane dual carriageway for the Rironi to Naivasha section, while the section connecting Naivasha to Nakuru will feature six lanes.

The civil works include the construction of grade-separated interchanges, pedestrian bridges, truck laybys, and dedicated toll stations along the route.

President Ruto noted that the revised timeline aims to accelerate the relief of traffic congestion along the Northern Corridor.

The highway serves as the primary transit artery for freight moving from the Port of Mombasa to western Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In addition to the Rift Valley transit corridor, the government has provided an update on the proposed infrastructure interventions for Thika Road.

Engineering design works for a new expressway along the Thika Road corridor are currently in their final stages.

Construction works for the Thika Road Expressway are scheduled to commence in October this year, targeting chronic traffic bottlenecks on the busy highway.

The expansion projects represent an administrative shift toward private capital concession models to fund national trunk roads without increasing public debt.

The original launch of the Sh170 billion Rironi-Mau Summit project occurred on November 28, 2025, during a ceremony at Kamandura.

Initial timelines had placed the overall completion date closer to June 2027, to coincide with national celebrations.

The dual-carriageway expansion is intended to lower vehicle operating costs, improve road safety metrics, and reduce travel times across the regional transport network.