Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir conducts site inspection of Rironi-Mau Summit Highway

The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, Davis Chirchir, conducted an extensive field inspection of the Rironi-Mau Summit Highway on January 31, 2026. The visit served as a technical assessment of the ongoing works on one of the country's most critical infrastructure corridors, which has recently been under scrutiny regarding its pace of implementation.

Chirchir was accompanied by a senior delegation, including the Principal Secretary for Roads, Eng. Joseph Mbugua, and the acting Director General of the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Eng. Luka Kimeli. Also present was the KeNHA Director of Development, Eng. Henry Gakuru, as the team reviewed the status of the multibillion-shilling project intended to dual the existing carriageway.

During the site visit, the officials engaged with technical teams and contractors to evaluate the mobilization of equipment and personnel across various sections. The inspection comes at a time when the government is working to counter claims that the project had stalled. Current reports indicate that initial works are active in several areas, including a five-kilometre stretch at Rironi handled by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and similar progress at the Gilgil section.

The Rironi-Mau Summit Highway is a vital link within the Northern Corridor, facilitating the movement of goods and passengers from the Port of Mombasa to Western Kenya and neighboring landlocked countries. The existing road has long been a bottleneck for transit, frequently characterized by heavy congestion and safety concerns near Naivasha and the Mau Summit.

Engineering teams on site briefed the Cabinet Secretary on the technical challenges and the schedule for ramping up activities. The project is being executed through a mix of contracting models, with firms such as Shandong Construction Company also involved in specific stretches, including Kariandusi. The government maintains that the expansion is essential for reducing travel times and improving the overall safety of the route for commercial and private road users.

The visit by the Ministry leadership underscores the priority placed on completing the dualing of this corridor. By physically assessing the groundwork, the Ministry aims to ensure that the contractors adhere to the stipulated timelines and that any logistical hurdles are addressed at the executive level. Further site visits are expected as work expands into more segments of the highway.