Reimagining Highway Stopovers: Cable Cars and Luxury Hotels Earmarked for Great Rift Valley

President William Ruto’s administration has unveiled plans to transform the iconic Great Rift Valley Viewpoint into a premier cable car tourism hub as part of the ongoing Rironi–Mau Summit highway expansion project.

Disclosing the blueprint during a project inspection tour, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir announced that the site will feature suspended passenger cable cars, modern curio shops, and upscale hotels.

At the center of the redevelopment is a motorized cable car network designed to link the main A8 Nairobi–Nakuru highway section with the A8 South escarpment corridor.

Rather than serving purely as a brief roadside pull-off, the elevated transit system will carry visitors across steep terrain, offering uninterrupted aerial views of the Great Rift Valley floor, Mount Longonot, and the surrounding landscape.

To encourage motorists and international tourists to linger longer, the government intends to reorganize commercial spaces and attract private hospitality investors.

Chirchir noted that existing roadside stalls fall short of modern safety standards, prompting plans to build structured retail outlets alongside boutique hotels that capitalize on the natural beauty of the escarpment.

The viewpoint transformation forms a strategic component of the broader Ksh170 billion Rironi–Mau Summit public-private partnership road project launched by President Ruto in November 2025.

While contractors focus on completing primary highway sections ahead of the 2027 target, officials indicated that procurement details, project costs, and implementation timelines for the cable car system will be finalized subsequently.

Integrating world-class tourism infrastructure along one of East Africa’s busiest transit corridors aims to generate new revenue streams and stimulate local enterprise.

Balancing modern commercial redevelopment with the livelihoods of nearly 300 existing small-scale vendors will remain essential to realizing inclusive economic benefits across the region.

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https://peopledaily.digital/business/rironi-mau-summit-how-ruto-plans-to-turn-kenyas-famous-rift-valley-viewpoint-into-a-cable-car-tourism-hub

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