CS Mbadi Breaks Silence on Rironi-Mau Summit Highway Cost Amid Gachagua’s Allegations

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has defended the government’s spending on the Rironi-Mau Summit Highway, dismissing allegations that the project cost was deliberately inflated.

Mbadi attributed the increased construction cost to changes in the road’s original design and the termination of an earlier agreement with a French company, arguing that the current arrangement was necessary to protect public finances.

Speaking during the NCBA Economic Forum 2026 in Nairobi on Tuesday, November 3, Mbadi criticised leaders questioning the project’s cost without understanding its technical and commercial details.

He cited claims by an unnamed politician that the highway would have cost between KSh150 billion and KSh200 billion before the French firm exited the project.

The Treasury CS challenged politicians making such allegations to consult technical experts before commenting on major infrastructure projects.

Mbadi further explained that the highway’s design had been revised, with the Naivasha-Nakuru section expanded to eight lanes, a development that significantly affected the overall construction requirements and cost.

He also defended the cancellation of the previous agreement, arguing that it exposed the government to substantial commercial risks that could have placed additional pressure on public finances and the wider economy.

His remarks come amid growing criticism from Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua, who has questioned the financing and implementation of the multibillion-shilling highway.

Gachagua recently claimed that Chinese officials had declined to release funds for the project, allegedly considering it too risky ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The former Deputy President also dismissed Roads and Transport CS Davis Chirchir’s explanation that construction delays were caused by shortages of bitumen, insisting that contractors were struggling because of inadequate funding.

Chirchir, however, has maintained that interruptions in bitumen supplies affected construction works, pushing the expected opening of a 60-kilometre section to early December 2026.

The 233-kilometre highway is being constructed in different sections. China Road and Bridge Corporation is working with the National Social Security Fund on the Rironi-Naivasha-Gilgil and Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha routes, while Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International is handling the Gilgil-Nakuru-Mau Summit section.

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/129093-cs-mbadi-rejects-claims-rironi-mau-summit-highway-cost-was-inflated

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