The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has invited firms to verify construction works and costs on the Rironi-Mau Summit highway project as work continues on the major road linking Nairobi to the Rift Valley.
In a tender notice issued on Friday, October 23, KeNHA, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) invited local and international consulting firms to submit proposals for the assignment.
The successful firm will inspect works already completed and those still ongoing, while checking whether the costs reported match the work done on the ground.
The exercise will cover two road sections: the 81-kilometre Rironi-Gilgil stretch along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway and the 58-kilometre Rironi-Maai Mahiu-Naivasha road.
KeNHA said the assignment would include verification of early works and certification of project costs.
Firms interested in the tender must demonstrate experience in providing independent engineering services for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects.
The authority will award 80 per cent of the evaluation marks based on technical expertise, while the cost of the proposed services will account for the remaining 20 per cent.
The tender comes as the government pushes ahead with the KSh200 billion Rironi-Mau Summit highway expansion, which is being implemented through a partnership involving CRBC and NSSF.
The project is expected to ease traffic along one of the country’s busiest transport corridors through road expansion and the construction of interchanges, bridges, drainage systems, toll stations and road safety facilities.
In August, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said the Rironi-Naivasha section was expected to be fully dualled by October 30, 2026.
However, a National Treasury update showed that by September 30, early works on the Rironi-Naivasha section were 34.96 per cent complete, while the Gilgil-Mau Summit section had reached 10.38 per cent completion.
The project plans provide for a dual carriageway and three toll stations on the Rironi-Naivasha section. The Gilgil-Nakuru stretch is expected to have six lanes.
Under the PPP agreement, the highway is expected to operate as a toll road for 30 years. Motorists are projected to pay KSh8 per kilometre, although the final tolling arrangements will determine the actual charges.
The independent verification exercise is expected to establish the extent of work completed and confirm the costs associated with the project as construction continues.