Kenya has turned to Beijing for a fresh push on its busiest transport corridors, sealing a deal that will see Chinese financiers dual the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit–Malaba highway, expand Kiambu Road, and build the Eldoret Bypass alongside the accident-prone Nithi Bridge.
State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said the agreement emerged from President William Ruto’s four-day state visit to China, where he held lengthy talks with President Xi Jinping on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Additionally, China has opened the door for increased private-sector investment, which will be channelled into these infrastructure projects through Public-Private Partnerships, further accelerating development and deepening economic ties,” Hussein Mohamed noted in a statement.
The flagship road, stretching from the capital to the Ugandan border, had been earmarked for a €1.3 billion (KSh 190 billion) French-led consortium, but Nairobi cancelled that contract earlier this month after the Kenya National Highways Authority raised cost concerns.
Beyond roads, the two leaders agreed to fast-track Kenya’s National Digital Superhighway by extending the fibre-optic backbone, while Beijing pledged grants to modernise hospitals and invest in local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Ruto’s team did not disclose a price tag for the new package, but officials said Beijing favours a mix of concessional loans and PPPs – terms the Treasury views as lighter on the exchequer than the scrapped French deal.
Construction on the Nairobi–Malaba dual carriageway is expected to begin in June 2025 once design reviews are complete.
With traffic on the Northern Corridor rising and the Nithi Bridge still claiming lives, transport planners argue the Chinese-financed upgrades could unclog Kenya’s main artery to East Africa—provided, critics warn, the PPP model delivers value for money where the last one failed.
