CS Chirchir Unveils New Plan to Fast-Track Rironi-Naivasha Highway Works

The government has introduced a new strategy to speed up construction of the Rironi-Naivasha section of the planned expressway extending to Mau Summit, with Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir saying contractors will now target laying one kilometre of road daily.

According to the CS, the government is committed to ensuring that the road section is opened to the public before the end of the year.

"We will be doing a kilometre every day because after we have done the base, the remaining will just be the top polishing layer," Chirchir said during an interview with the Historian and shared by Chinese broadcaster CGTN.

The CS explained that the strategy would rely on completing the road base first, allowing contractors to move faster when applying the final asphalt layer along the 60-kilometre stretch.

Transport CS Davis Chirchir when he appeared before the Departmental Committee on Transport to defend reforms under the Miscellaneous Fees and Levies (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on February 26, 2026. Photo MOTR

Chirchir also said the government had addressed the bitumen supply constraints that previously slowed down construction, allowing the contractor to resume work without the earlier interruptions.

"The pavers that are laying the asphalt, we have got 10 already in Mombasa," he said, pointing to the arrival of additional equipment expected to support the accelerated construction programme.

He said the availability of the equipment and improved supplies had given the government confidence that the Rironi-Naivasha section would be ready within the revised timeline, although some road furniture could still be outstanding.

The CS maintained that the first phase of the project was on schedule and expressed confidence that the contractor would complete the section before the government's revised opening target.

The latest update comes after the government missed an October 30 deadline that Chirchir had announced in September, when he promised that motorists would be able to use the completed dual carriageway without the traffic disruptions caused by construction.

On October 30, the CS pushed the opening of the Rironi-Naivasha section to early December 2026 after inspecting the works alongside the National Assembly's Transport and Infrastructure Committee in Naivasha.

During the inspection, Chirchir said more than 90 teams had been deployed along the route, with construction progressing at approximately four kilometres per week before the latest acceleration plan.

The 60-kilometre stretch forms part of the Ksh200 billion Rironi-Mau Summit highway project being implemented under a public-private partnership, with China Road and Bridge Corporation undertaking the Rironi-Naivasha phase.

The wider project involves expanding the highway towards Mau Summit, with the government targeting completion of the entire corridor by June 2027, while motorists are expected to pay toll charges once the road is operational.