The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has rejected the proposed 30-year toll concession for the Rironi–Mau Summit Highway, instead proposing a temporary KSh 5 to KSh 10 per litre fuel contribution to help finance the road.
In a statement issued on September 11, 2026, MAK criticized the long delay in upgrading the Rironi–Naivasha section into a dual carriageway and questioned plans to place the existing public highway under a long-term toll concession.
MAK said the pace of the Rironi–Naivasha expansion showed, in its view, that the upgrade could have begun much earlier.
“The ease and speed with which the Rironi–Naivasha section is being expanded into a dual carriageway is, in our view, a serious indictment of KeNHA and the State Department for Roads,” the association said.
The association argued that progressive upgrading could have delivered a dual carriageway from the Port of Mombasa through Nairobi, Rironi, Naivasha and Mau Summit, and onward to Malaba and Busia through Kisumu much earlier.
MAK Opposes 30-Year Toll on Rironi–Mau Summit Highway
MAK said it was concerned that motorists had been kept waiting for a public-private partnership concession that would subject an existing public highway to tolling for 30 years.
“A public road built and maintained on public land must not be converted into a private revenue stream simply because it is upgraded,” the association said.
Also Road: Govt Lists Landowners Set to Lose Land During Rironi-Mau Summit Road Construction
The association also questioned the commercial, legal and public-acceptance risks associated with tolling an existing public corridor.
MAK further said the proposed KSh200 billion investment should not be used as a reason to hand over the strategic corridor under a 30-year concession.
Instead of the long-term toll arrangement, MAK proposed a temporary contribution of KSh 5 or KSh 10 per litre of fuel.
The association said such a contribution could raise substantial resources within a relatively short period and argued that motorists would be more willing to support it if the mechanism was transparent and time-bound.
MAK proposed that the funds be ring-fenced, independently accounted for and used specifically to finance the road programme.
The association acknowledged that motorists already face a significant tax burden but said a temporary contribution would be preferable to paying tolls on the corridor for three decades.
Association Questions Rironi–Naivasha Delay
MAK also faulted the prolonged delay in upgrading the Rironi–Naivasha Highway, saying the project has taken too long to be completed despite years of concern over congestion and road safety along the route.
The association said motorists had endured years of road crashes, hospital bills, property damage from head-on collisions, and severe traffic congestion during festive periods.
It also pointed to prolonged traffic gridlock caused by serious crashes and congestion around Gilgil, saying motorists have continued to face significant delays and travel disruptions along the busy corridor.
“If a solution that was apparently achievable is only now being implemented, the question of official negligence cannot simply be wished away,” MAK said.
Also Read: KeNHA Discloses What Motorists Will Pay on Rironi–Naivasha–Gilgil Highway Under New Toll Plan
Questions Raised Over Rironi–Mau Summit Road Costs
MAK also questioned the cost per kilometre being cited for the corridor, pointing to what it described as favourable terrain and soil conditions along much of the route.
The association called for a transparent breakdown of the engineering costs, financing arrangements, financing costs and concession assumptions behind the proposed investment.
MAK further argued that the securitization of the Road Maintenance Levy Fund should have been directed towards strategic road infrastructure such as Rironi–Mau Summit.
The association said the current emphasis on the benefits of the Naivasha dual carriageway raises questions about why motorists have waited for nearly two decades for the infrastructure.
The association argued that the safety, efficiency, logistics and economic benefits of dual carriageways should have been delivered much earlier.
“The current expansion is therefore not a favour to Kenyans. It is a long-delayed right finally being delivered,” MAK said.
MAK called for the Rironi–Mau Summit corridor to remain a public asset, financed transparently and developed for the public good rather than surrendered through a 30-year toll concession.
“Please, give Kenyan motorists a break,” the association said.
CS Chirchir Says Rironi-Naivasha Highway Will Be Fully Dualled by October 30
Transport Cabinet Secretary David Chirchir earlier said that the ongoing expansion of the Rironi-Naivasha section of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway will be completed by October 30, 2026.
Speaking on September 9, Chirchir said construction had reached an advanced stage, with the remaining works expected to be completed within the next 1.5 months.
“By October 30 this year, from Rironi to Naivasha, we will have completed the dualling, and people will be able to pass smoothly. There will be no more traffic on that route,” Chirchir said.
Chirchir said the completion of the Rironi-Naivasha section would pave the way for the government to extend the dual carriageway towards Nakuru and eventually Mau Summit.
He said the next phase would involve the section from Gilgil towards Nakuru, as the government continues with plans to improve the wider Rironi-Mau Summit corridor.
The CS said progress has been made at Kamandura near Rironi, one of the most challenging sections of the route because of its difficult terrain.
He added that the ongoing works have improved the condition of the area, transforming a stretch that had previously been difficult for motorists to use.
The latest October 30 completion target comes ahead of an earlier projection by the contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).
The contractor had previously indicated that the Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha section of the wider Rironi-Mau Summit highway would be completed by December 2026.
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