Economic Policy Debate: Cheruiyot Defends Pension Fund Participation in Key Transport Infrastructure

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has strongly criticized former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua following allegations made regarding the funding structure of the Ksh200 billion Rironi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway expansion project.

Addressing Gachagua’s claims that the government turned to National Social Security Fund (NSSF) savings after foreign consortiums declined to back the venture, Cheruiyot accused the former Deputy President of deliberately politicizing crucial economic infrastructure and attempting to sabotage key national development agendas.

Defending the state’s public-private partnership (PPP) frameworks, Cheruiyot clarified that institutional investors—including pension funds like NSSF—regularly acquire equity stakes in sovereign infrastructure assets to generate secure, long-term, inflation-protected returns for workers.

The Kericho Senator maintained that deploying domestic pension capital into commercial projects like toll highways is standard global practice, rejecting assertions that public funds are exposed to uncalculated risk. He urged Gachagua and opposition figures to desist from misleading taxpayers about institutional investment strategies for political leverage.

The verbal back-and-forth highlights escalating political tension over government-backed infrastructure models connecting Nairobi to the Western commercial corridor.

As construction timelines proceed on critical road segments, Cheruiyot assured the public that the government remains committed to maintaining financial transparency and completing dual-carriageway expansions on schedule without compromising national fiscal stability.

What are your thoughts on Aaron Cheruiyot’s response to Rigathi Gachagua regarding NSSF funding for the Rironi-Mau Summit highway?

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