President William Ruto declared that the government will release tenders and initiate construction for the Mau Summit-Malaba expressway extension by year’s end.
During Labour Day festivities at Chavakali Boys High School on Friday, May 1, Ruto stated that this new phase will proceed alongside the current Rironi-Mau Summit highway development.
The existing Rironi-Mau Summit section is being developed by a Chinese consortium, serving as a crucial component of Kenya’s growing transportation infrastructure.
According to the President, the Mau Summit-Malaba extension will utilize two primary routes to improve connectivity across various regions.
The first route will extend to the border town of Malaba, an important hub for cross-regional commerce.
A second corridor will diverge from Mau Summit via Kericho and reach Kisumu, further unlocking the lake region and fostering economic integration.
‘By the close of this year, we will commence construction from Mau Summit to Eldoret, Kakamega, and ultimately Malaba,’ Ruto stated.
He emphasized that the broader infrastructure development, coupled with the SGR expansion, will improve living standards, reduce traffic congestion, and generate at least 10,000 jobs while creating new prospects for trade, tourism, and investment throughout Western Kenya.
However, Ruto did not specify whether the Kisumu-Busia Highway section would be incorporated into the extension or if it would form part of the Lake Victoria Ringroad as originally intended.
Under current plans, motorists and truckers as the government moves to upgrade the 243-kilometre road into a four-lane corridor under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The Treasury has recently outlined plans to enhance the northern corridor highway, facilitating improved cargo transportation between Kenya and neighboring East African nations including Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) is overseeing the project, having secured the necessary right-of-way for most of the corridor and working with the Treasury and development partners to implement the project with transparency.
The highway extending from Mau Summit through Eldoret to Malaba will supplement the Nairobi-Rironi-Mau Summit route.