Ruto Reveals How French Company Was Chased From Nairobi-Nakuru Project

President William Ruto has addressed rising concerns over long traffic jams on the Nairobi-Mau Summit Highway.

Ruto while speaking during the groundbreaking for the 35MW Or power 22 Power Plant, Menengai, Nakuru County on October 24 noted that the highway has been affected due to the increase in motorists using the road.

He said that a French company that had submitted a Private Initiated Proposal (PIP) was asked to leave the project, which paves the way for another bid.

“I know you are still waiting because travelling from here to Nairobi is still a challenge because the road is always full of traffic, and vehicles have become too many.

“I want to assure you that the French company which had been awarded a contract after submitting a PIP to dual the road got stuck and we have instructed them to leave so that we can source for another company because the stretch between Mau Summit to Nairobi must be upgraded to a dual carriageway.” said Ruto.

The Head of State mentioned that the dual carriageway will benefit the people of Nakuru and those from the Western Region, allowing them to travel to and from Nairobi without being affected by traffic snarl-ups.

“We will work with other leaders to ensure that we find another company that will help us push our development agenda forward,” he added. 

The Kenya Kwanza administration put the construction of the Mau Summit Highway on hold in June 2023 due to its high cost, with the government seeking a review of the Ksh179.9 billion ($1.3 billion) project.

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The administration found the total cost to be too high, considering Kenya’s tight fiscal situation.

Initiated by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, the construction of the 233-kilometre Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Toll Road, which was originally set to begin in September 2021, has been awaiting approval from President Ruto.

A consortium of three French firms had expressed readiness to break ground on the project, having secured financial backing from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank.

The French consortium, consisting of Vinci Highways SAS, Meridian Infrastructure Africa Fund, and Vinci Concessions SAS, was expected to recoup its investments within 30 years by charging toll fees for the use of the road.

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In July 2022, the AFDB approved financing of $150 million (Ksh18.5 billion) to support the project.

This funding was to facilitate the transformation of the existing 175-kilometre A8 road from Rironi to Mau Summit into a four-lane carriageway, while the 57.8-kilometre two-lane A8 South, from Rironi to Naivasha, strengthened and maintained over a period of 30 years.

Mau Summit road, which would have been expanded into a four-lane dual carriageway through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, is the main artery from Nairobi to western Kenya and the neighboring countries of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

One of the major sticky issues has been the absence of an alternative route for motorists who did not want to pay toll fees, as is the case with the Nairobi Expressway.

More to follow…