Kenyans can breathe a sigh of relief after President William Ruto directed contractors to commence the construction of the Nakuru-Nairobi highway from July this year.
The announcement was made on Thursday, May 15, by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who conveyed the information on behalf of the Head of State during his visit to Nakuru County.
He said the dualling of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway would begin in the next two months to enhance the safety of travellers and facilitate easier and more effective movement of people and goods to and from the Rift Valley, Western, and Nyanza regions.
According to the DP, the President had already instructed Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir to oversee the construction works to ensure the timely completion of the Ksh90 billion project
Kindiki informed the residents that the expansion of the highway from single lane to a 170-kilometre four-lane carriageway would be done through a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP).
“From July onwards, we will begin the construction and expansion of the main highway which links Rironi in Limuru to Mau Summit to be a dual carriageway so that we can reduce the accidents,” Kindiki announced.
“We have found a way to construct the road, and the President has instructed the Ministry of Roads to ensure contractors are on the site from July 1 this year,” he added.
While emphasising his sentiments, the DP noted that the expansion of the highway would immensely reduce accidents, which have been a prevalent menace along the route.
The dualling of the highway is critical as it will not only ease the traffic congestion occasionally witnessed along the route but also enhance regional connectivity among the counties in the Rift Valley, Western Kenya, and Nyanza regions.
Ruto's directive comes a month after he signed a deal with the Chinese government for the expansion of the highway. This is after it cancelled a similar deal with French contractors for dualling the highway.
Kenya's decision to end the agreement with the French contractors came after the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) officials revisited the terms and conditions of the multi-billion project.
KeNHA had requested changes in the agreement; however, the French contractors declined, forcing the government to ditch the deal. However, the government will now be forced to pay Ksh6.2 billion to the French contractors for prematurely terminating the agreement.
