Rironi-Mau Summit Road sparks political storm over billions in public spending and secret contracts

The Rironi-Mau Summit Road project has become a political battleground, with Opposition leaders questioning its financing, transparency, construction delays and potential financial burden on taxpayers. (Photo: KeNHA)

When President William Ruto launched the Rironi-Mau Summit Road expansion project in November 2025, the government presented it as a gateway to prosperity and economic transformation, promising to ease transport along one of Kenya’s busiest highways.

The launch, which followed years of delays in plans to upgrade the road, was expected to usher in a major infrastructure development. However, nearly a year later, the project has become a fresh political battleground, with Opposition leaders questioning its financing, transparency and implementation.

Ruto launched the project on Friday, November 28, 2025, at Kamandura in Kiambu County, marking the beginning of construction under the first phase of the landmark infrastructure programme.

The launch covered Phase I of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit (A8) Road and the Nairobi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha (A8 South) Road, spanning 139 kilometres from Nairobi towards Gilgil and Naivasha.

The project, being implemented through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), was scheduled to take two years to construct at an estimated cost of US$863 million, followed by a 28-year operation period.

“If we waited for the national budget, we’d have waited a lifetime. If we borrowed, we’d have increased our debt burden. If we taxed more, we’d have strained families. And if we did nothing, we would have surrendered to stagnation,” Ruto said during its launch.

However, the administration is now facing mounting criticism over the project, with former allies and Opposition leaders questioning the financial arrangements behind the ambitious highway expansion.

Among the latest critics is Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, one of Ruto’s fiercest critics and a presidential hopeful, who has accused the administration of keeping major infrastructure project contracts away from public scrutiny.

Sifuna has pledged that a government formed by his Linda Mwananchi Movement would make such agreements accessible to Kenyans if he is elected president.

Questioning why the government was not making key project agreements available to the public, the senator raised concerns over the terms under which major infrastructure developments are being undertaken.

“Transparency, accountability, and sustainable development. The Linda Mwananchi Movement promises to make all project contracts available to the public in conformity with these three constitutional values,” Sifuna stated.

“We all know why the Ruto regime hides these agreements. From Bomas to Talanta to the Rironi highway to the Lamu refinery, we are being robbed blind,” he added.

His remarks have placed the Rironi-Mau Summit Road project at the centre of a wider debate over transparency in the financing, procurement and implementation of major public infrastructure projects.

The highway is expected to improve connectivity along the Nairobi-Nakuru corridor, a critical transport route serving motorists, traders and businesses travelling between Nairobi and western Kenya.

However, questions have emerged over its financial implications, particularly the proposed tolling arrangements and the long-term concessions granted to private partners.

In October 2026, Treasury documents revealed that terminating the highway’s 30-year contracts could expose taxpayers to potential compensation liabilities of Sh180.73 billion.

The Treasury later clarified that the figure represented the maximum potential financial exposure rather than an anticipated payment.

More recently, on October 31, 2026, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir announced that the government had deployed more than 1,000 pieces of heavy-duty machinery to accelerate construction.

Chirchir also acknowledged delays caused by disruptions in bitumen supplies but indicated that sections of the Rironi-Naivasha stretch could open before the December 2026 festive season. The first layer of bituminous surfacing had also been laid at Lari.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has also launched a scathing attack on the government over the project, accusing it of putting the highway expansion at risk through questionable financing arrangements.

Gachagua claimed that Chinese partners had withheld funding because of concerns over political uncertainty ahead of the 2027 General Election.

He dismissed Chirchir’s explanation that construction delays were caused by bitumen shortages linked to geopolitical tensions in Iran and global supply chain disruptions, insisting that the underlying problem was a lack of money.

Speaking during a church service in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, on Sunday, Gachagua claimed Chinese government officials had declined to release funds because they considered the project politically risky ahead of next year’s election.

“Now, I have been informed that Chinese government officials have refused to release funds for this road because they view it as a ‘political project’ and consider it too risky, given that we have an election coming up next year,” he said.

He also questioned the project’s financing arrangements, alleging that Sh30 billion belonging to the NSSF had been channelled to two Chinese companies.

“I am saying there is no contract for that road. Money has been taken from NSSF, money belonging to pensioners, against the law. Sh30 billion has been given to two Chinese companies,” he claimed.

Gachagua warned companies and individuals involved in the financing arrangements that they would be held accountable, demanding that the money be returned.

Under the first phase, CRBC, working with NSSF, is responsible for the approximately 139-kilometre section covering Rironi-Naivasha-Gilgil and the Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha road.

The component was launched at an estimated cost of US$863 million, with the concessionaire expected to finance, construct, operate and maintain the highway before eventually handing it back to the government.

The second component, covering approximately 94 kilometres between Gilgil, Nakuru and Mau Summit, was assigned to Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International at an estimated cost of US$678.56 million.

Together, the two components form a continuous upgraded transport corridor linking Nairobi to the Rift Valley and western Kenya.

The decision to engage two Chinese concessionaires was partly driven by financing and approval timelines.

Roads Principal Secretary Joseph Mbugua explained that the government had initially considered engaging a single investor for the wider project. However, the financing requirement exceeded US$1 billion, which would have triggered additional approval processes in China and potentially delayed implementation.

Splitting the project into two components allowed the government to pursue separate concession arrangements and bring contractors on site sooner.

According to the government, the approach was therefore not simply about selecting Chinese firms but also restructuring the project to make financing and implementation more manageable.

Despite the arrangements, construction has encountered delays. Chirchir pushed the expected opening of the Rironi-Naivasha section from October to December after contractors failed to meet the earlier deadline.

China’s growing role in Kenya’s infrastructure

The involvement of Chinese companies in the Rironi-Mau Summit project has also drawn attention to China’s expanding role in Kenya’s infrastructure sector.

CRBC has previously undertaken major projects in Kenya, including the Standard Gauge Railway, while Chinese construction companies have participated in several road and transport infrastructure developments across the country.

The Rironi-Mau Summit arrangement also marks a return to large-scale Chinese participation through a financing model combining debt and equity, rather than relying exclusively on conventional sovereign borrowing.

The two Chinese companies were expected to invest approximately US$1.5 billion in the highway expansion, with the financing structured around debt and equity and a 28-year toll concession.

The project involves upgrading an existing transport corridor through a combination of four-lane and six-lane sections, grade-separated interchanges, bridges, underpasses, service roads and other safety features.

Its design provides for additional capacity between Naivasha and Nakuru, where traffic volumes are particularly high, as well as an elevated section through Nakuru town intended to reduce congestion.