Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, James Macharia, has announced that Kenyans are set to dig into their pockets to access the Rironi-Nakuru-Mau summit dual carriageway.
Macharia noted that the tolling of the road project would pave the way to a more connected and competitive infrastructure.
The proposed toll tariff is Ksh6 per kilometre translating to Ksh 1,398 for motorists who use the entire stretch.
The distance from Rironi to Nakuru town totals to about 130 kilometres - meaning those who use the stretch will pay about Ksh800 for a one-way drive.
''The road shortens the journey by one hour but those who will not want to pay to ply the road will have to use other alternative routes though they will have to travel for three more hours,'' Macharia noted.
The highway will improve connectivity between Central/Eastern Kenya and Rift Valley/Western Kenya region and reduce congestion on the Nothern corridor.
The 233-kilometre highway will cost Ksh160 billion of private capital with construction expected to start in September 2021 in a contract awarded to a French consortium.
The consortium is made up of Vinci Highways SAS, Vinci Concessions SAS and Meridian Infrastructure Africa Fund last year. They will oversee the expansion of the road into a four-lane dual carriage through a Public-Private Partnership model.
The consortium will design, finance, construct, operate and maintain the highway. Through the revenue generated by the electronic till collection system, they will recover their finances over a period of 30 years.
The CS further added that, just like the Nairobi Expressway, the Mau Summit road is a purely private investment, the institutions responsible for its construction and maintenance will operate it until they recoup their investments.
The project will involve widening the existing Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha road into a 7-metre carriageway with two-metre shoulders on both sides, construction of a 4-kilometre elevated highway through Nakuru town, and building and improvement of interchanges along the highway.
The expansion of the road takes aims at stimulating economic activity sustainably, create employment opportunities, provide high level of services (ambulatory services and towing) reduce road accidents, reduce travel times and vehicle operating costs.
The project will improve transport connections for people and goods between the Eastern and Western parts of Kenya and neighbouring countries.
