KeNHA discloses details of second phase Rironi-Mau Summit road project

Shandong will construct the 94-kilometre road — part of the 233-kilometre A8 road — running from Rironi to Naivasha through Mai Mahiu at an estimated cost of Ksh.87.6 billion ($678 million).

The road will be a second phase of the mega road project, as the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), in partnership with Kenya’s National Social Security Fund (NSSF), will construct the first phase.

CRBC will construct the A8 road, which will run from Rironi through Naivasha to Gilgil, and the A8 South road, set to run from Rironi through Mai Mahiu to Naivasha at a cost of Ksh.96.1 billion ($743 million).

The construction will take two years, and the 2 concessionaires will operate the road for 28 years to earn returns before handing it back to the government under KeNHA's management.

The Authority has said that the road being constructed by Shandong Hi-Speed, under a Public-Private Partnership, will see motorists paying Ksh.8 per kilometre in toll fees.

According to the government, the project will start at Rironi as a four-lane dual carriageway up to Naivasha. From Naivasha to Nakuru, where traffic volumes are highest, the highway will widen into six lanes on each side to accommodate heavy commercial and passenger traffic.

Through Nakuru town, the road will be elevated. This design is intended to bypass city congestion and improve safety for local road users. 

The four-lane dual carriageway will then continue from Nakuru to Mau Summit.

Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has noted that the government aims to deliver the road by April or May 2027.

“We ask for patience. This is being done for the good of tomorrow, and we are going to be courteous to ensure that contractors do provide alternative routes when a road is closed,” Chirchir told Citizen TV in a past interview.