Gachagua says Rironi-Mau Summit road construction stalling due to corruption

Instead, Gachagua on Sunday sensationally attributed the delay to alleged corruption by President William Ruto's administration, which has seen engineers from China pull out of the deal to dual the busy highway that connects Nairobi to the western part of the country. 

"I maintain that there is no contract signed for that road. President Uhuru had reached a deal with a French firm to construct the road at a cost of Ksh.150 billion. Ruto cancelled it, paid out Ksh7B to the French firm, and struck a deal with two Chinese firms to construct the road at a cost of Ksh200B," Gachagua claimed. 

The former Deputy President said the current administration also illegally allocated Ksh30B from NSSF, and now the Chinese contractors have refused to continue with the dualing of the road because they no longer want to be involved in corruption.

"We shall prosecute everyone involved in this scandal once we take power in 2027," Gachagua vowed. 

The DCP leader has consistently challenged the government to publish contracts signed for the construction of the Rironi-Mau Summit road, alleging corruption and embezzlement of tax-payers' money.

Last week, CS Chirchir said difficulties obtaining bitumen over the past two months had affected construction progress.

“Bitumen availability has been a challenge in the last 2 months due to the current geopolitical issues and supply chain disruptions; this has caused some setbacks and unexpected delays,” he said.

The CS acknowledged the disruption caused by the works, saying the government was working to accelerate construction.

“We recognize the inconvenience motorists and businesses continue to endure and appreciate their patience as we work to deliver this transformative project,” Chirchir said.

Despite the setbacks, he said sections of the road, particularly between Rironi and Naivasha, are set to open to motorists before the festive season to ease congestion.