President William Ruto has defended the cancellation of a French firm’s contract to construct the Nairobi-Mau Summit highway, saying the new deal will save taxpayers close to KSh60 billion while delivering a longer road.
The Head of State during an engagement with intellectuals, said the previous contract, awarded in 2020, had stalled for six years without a single kilometre of construction being completed.
He said the French company had taken the Kenyan government to court, forcing him to seek an exit from the agreement after assessing the potential cost of a prolonged legal battle.
“I went to see the French president. He happens to be a good friend of mine. And I told him, Mr President, we wanted to build a road. We didn’t want a court case,” Ruto said.
The President said he negotiated with the company and agreed to pay $50 million to terminate the contract, arguing that the legal dispute could have cost the country between $200 million and $300 million.
Ruto said the new project would cost KSh191 billion, compared to KSh249 billion under the French agreement, a difference of nearly KSh60 billion.
He added that the new contract would cover 210 kilometres, against 175 kilometres under the previous arrangement.
“These are facts. Concrete, cold facts,” he said, adding that the new road would also have 70 kilometres of six-lane carriageway between Naivasha and Nakuru.
The President further claimed that motorists would pay KSh8 per kilometre in toll charges under the current arrangement, compared to KSh12 per kilometre under the French contract.
Ruto said construction had reached 40 per cent completion, nearly a year after he launched the project in November 2025.
The government launched the Rironi-Mau Summit highway project in November 2025 under a public-private partnership involving China Road and Bridge Corporation and the National Social Security Fund. The project is part of efforts to expand a key transport corridor linking Nairobi to the Rift Valley and western Kenya.
Ruto also announced plans to extend the dual carriageway beyond Mau Summit through Kericho and Kisii towards Kisumu and Malaba.
He said the government was preparing to undertake a feasibility study for the extension, which would connect several counties and improve transport links to the Kenya-Uganda border.
The President also promised to announce plans to dual the Nairobi-Mombasa highway within the next year, saying the government would pursue the project without imposing additional taxes or debt on Kenyans.
“We must do it. And we are going to do it within the next one year,” he said.
The proposed expansion of the Nairobi-Mombasa highway is expected to address congestion and safety concerns along one of the country’s busiest transport routes.
