NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 10 – The Rironi-Naivasha section of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway will be completed and opened to traffic by October 30, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has said.
Chirchir said on Wednesday that construction of the dual carriageway was progressing well, with motorists expected to start using the upgraded section once the works are completed.
“By October 30, from Rironi to Naivasha, we will have completed the dualling and opened the road to traffic,” Chirchir said.
The announcement offers a fresh timeline for motorists who have endured persistent congestion, particularly along the steep escarpment and other bottlenecks on the busy Northern Corridor.
The Rironi-Mau Summit project was officially launched by President William Ruto at Kamandura, Kiambu County, in November 2025. The first phase covers the Rironi-Naivasha-Gilgil corridor and the Rironi-Maai Mahiu-Naivasha route.
The project is being implemented under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement involving China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The first phase covers about 139 kilometres and is being delivered under a design, finance, build, operate, maintain and transfer model.
The broader project is intended to transform one of Kenya’s busiest transport corridors, which forms part of the Northern Corridor linking the Port of Mombasa to Uganda and other markets in East and Central Africa.
Chirchir said construction would continue beyond Naivasha, with the government turning its attention to the Naivasha-Nakuru section and the escarpment section beginning at Kamandura.
“We will then continue constructing the Naivasha-Nakuru section, as well as the escarpment section from Kamandura,” he said.
Construction is already under way at several points along the corridor. Contractors have been undertaking earthworks, widening the existing road and carrying out drainage and other preparatory works as new sections of the dual carriageway take shape.
The road project has been divided between contractors. CRBC is undertaking the Rironi-Gilgil section, including the Rironi-Maai Mahiu-Naivasha link, while Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International Engineering Company is handling the Gilgil-Nakuru-Mau Summit section.
Government officials have said additional equipment and construction teams have been deployed to open up more work fronts along the corridor and accelerate construction.
The project is expected to ease traffic congestion, reduce travel times and improve road safety on a route heavily used by trucks transporting cargo from the Port of Mombasa to western Kenya and neighbouring countries.
The upgraded road will also include modern interchanges and other facilities, with the Rironi-Naivasha-Gilgil section designed to provide additional capacity along the heavily congested corridor.
The road will eventually operate as a toll facility under the PPP arrangement. KeNHA has announced a proposed tariff of Sh8 per kilometre for motorists using the Rironi-Naivasha-Gilgil and Rironi-Maai Mahiu-Naivasha roads.
The government has previously projected completion of the wider corridor in 2027, meaning the planned October opening would allow motorists to begin benefiting from the first completed section while works continue on the remaining stretches.
