Former Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused visiting French President Emmanuel Macron of being indirectly linked to what he termed a multi-billion-shilling payout involving the cancelled Rironi-Mau Summit Road project.
Speaking during a press conference in Nairobi on Tuesday, May 12, Gachagua alleged that Kenyan taxpayers were exposed to losses running into billions following the termination of the long-awaited highway upgrade project that had initially been awarded to French firms under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.
The Rironi-Mau Summit Road project, a key section of the busy Nairobi-Nakuru highway corridor, was originally packaged as a major infrastructure upgrade intended to ease congestion, improve safety, and reduce travel time between Nairobi and the western region.
Gachagua now claims that the cancellation of the French-backed deal led to financial implications, alleging that up to Ksh7 billion was paid in what he described as compensation or settlement to the involved foreign firms.
He further alleged that President Emmanuel Macron’s presence in surrounding the terminated infrastructure agreement.
“Mr Macron, you are an accomplice in the Ksh7 billion payout from the people of Kenya linked to the cancelled Rironi-Mau Summit Road contract,” Gachagua claimed.
He argued that public frustration over such deals was behind the disruptive scenes witnessed during Macron’s address at the Africa Forward Summit, where sections of the audience were seen chanting and making noise during proceedings at the University of Nairobi’s Taifa Hall on Monday.
“That’s the reason why Kenyans were making noise to you not to leave our borders with this money, as we need it to pay fees. If Kenyans meet you elsewhere, they will make more noise.”
In September 2020, the government announced plans to construct, and operate the road under a model estimated at about Ksh159 billion, a deal that attracted both political and public debate at the time.
However, the arrangement was later suspended and eventually cancelled, with the government citing financing disagreements, restructuring of infrastructure priorities, and concerns over cost implications.
The project was subsequently reviewed under a different framework, with Kenya shifting toward alternative financing and construction arrangements, including engagement with Chinese contractors for other road segments within the wider corridor development plan.
Gachagua further claimed that unresolved governance and land-related disputes in parts of Meru County risk affecting education and public services, citing a contested hotel ownership issue worth Ksh64 million located within the Meru National Park area.
The remarks come amid heightened tensions in Nairobi during the Africa Forward Summit, where protesters were detained after attempting to access the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), chanting anti-French slogans and accusing foreign powers of economic interference in Africa on Tuesday.