President William Ruto has announced that the Rironi-Mau Summit Highway will be ready by April 2027, bringing forward its initial completion deadline of June by two months.
Speaking during a church service at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Likuyani Constituency on Sunday, October 11, Ruto said the first phase of the Northern Corridor road project, which will extend to Mau Summit, would be completed by April next year.
The highway is part of the Northern Corridor, a key regional transport network connecting the Port of Mombasa to landlocked countries across East Africa.
Ruto also revealed that construction of the next phase, covering the stretch between Mau Summit and Malaba town on the Kenya-Uganda border, would commence after the first section is completed.
“I want to assure you that the road will connect Mombasa and neighbouring countries like Uganda. Phase One will reach Mau Summit. I will open the road in April 2027. That is when we will begin the construction of the Mau Summit-Malaba highway,” Ruto stated.
The President noted that the highway would feature between four and six lanes in different sections to ease traffic congestion while generating revenue for the government.
“We will construct it with six lanes in some areas and four lanes at some points to reduce congestion and also help us generate revenue,” he added.
The announcement revises the anticipated completion date of the 175-kilometre Rironi-Mau Summit Highway from June to April 2027, potentially allowing motorists to use the improved road earlier than initially planned.
Meanwhile, construction has gathered pace, with some sections expected to be opened to traffic before the end of 2026.
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir previously announced that the Rironi-Naivasha section would be fully dualled by October 30, 2026.
“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.
Following the completion of the Rironi-Naivasha stretch, Chirchir said the government would move to expand the highway from Gilgil towards Nakuru before extending the improvements to Mau Summit.
Separately, the government has secured a grant from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to facilitate preparatory work for the second phase of the Northern Corridor highway improvement project, covering the Mau Summit-Malaba section.
According to Ruto, the funding will support feasibility studies for the proposed highway as the government seeks to strengthen transport links between Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The planned expansion is expected to improve regional connectivity along the Northern Corridor, which serves as a major trade route for Kenya and neighbouring countries.
