On the last day of October, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir stood at a construction site in Naivasha with lawmakers and quietly revised a promise. The Ksh200 billion Rironi-Naivasha stretch of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway, pledged in September to be ready by October 30, will now open in early December 2026. Such slippage is a familiar chapter in the long story of nations trying to build the roads that carry their commerce, and the coming weeks will show whether this new date is firmer than the last.
Chirchir Pushes Rironi-Naivasha Highway Opening to December After Missed October Deadline
The deadline he had set for that very day had passed.
Mark
The October 30 deadline came and went. What exactly changed on Friday?
Mimi
Chirchir stood on site in Naivasha with the Transport Committee and moved the opening of the 60-kilometre Rironi-Naivasha section to early December 2026. In September he had said it would be done by October 30.
Luke
Worth noting the reasons for the slip aren't given. He says the contractor is within revised timelines, but the report doesn't say what caused the delay.
Mark
He cited 90 teams and four kilometres a week. Does that tell us much?
Mimi
It shows the scale of effort. Those are his figures, given during the tour.
Luke
Right, and they're the minister's account. Nothing here independently verifies the pace, and four kilometres a week doesn't tell us how much remains.
Mark
What about the bitumen concern?
Mimi
He said adequate supplies have been secured. That answers a worry people had raised about the key material.
Luke
Again, it's an assurance, not a documented delivery. We don't know quantities.
Mark
And the Naivasha Junction?
Mimi
The interchange with an overpass and underpass will still have design work pending after December, so the opening isn't the end of construction.
Luke
Which makes me ask what December opening means in practice: the full dualled stretch, or the stretch minus the junction. The report leaves that open.
Der Puls
- A September promise of smooth passage by October 30 collided with the reality of a missed deadline, and the opening now slides into early December.
- More than 90 work teams are racing along 60 kilometres of road, advancing at roughly four kilometres a week while officials insist supply worries are settled.
- Naivasha Junction remains a half-finished knot of overpass and underpass work, and a few design tasks will carry past the December target.
- Contractor performance is under sharpened scrutiny, with the highway set to widen to four lanes, then six, and tolls of Ksh8 to Ksh8.50 per kilometre waiting on the other side.
On the last day of October, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir stood at a construction site in Naivasha with lawmakers and quietly revised a promise. The Ksh200 billion Rironi-Naivasha stretch of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway, pledged in September to be ready by October 30, will now open in early December 2026. Such slippage is a familiar chapter in the long story of nations trying to build the roads that carry their commerce, and the coming weeks will show whether this new date is firmer than the last.
On Friday, October 30, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir stood on the construction site in Naivasha with members of the National Assembly's Transport Committee, carrying a revised date. The Rironi-Naivasha section of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway, a Ksh200 billion project, would now open in early December 2026. The deadline he had set for that very day had passed.
In September, he had told Kenyans the dualling would be finished by October 30, with smooth passage and no more traffic on the route. On site he said the contractor was working to revised timelines and that the 60-kilometre stretch now targeted early December. He thanked the committee for seeing how public funds were being used.
The pace is steady but demanding. More than 90 teams are at work, advancing about four kilometres a week, and the government says it has secured enough bitumen to finish on time. Not everything will be done by December. Naivasha Junction, with its planned interchange, will keep some design work, and the contractor will extend toward Gilgil and Mai Mahiu as the wider expansion is planned for June next year.
The visit came amid unease over how contractors on public projects are performing. Chirchir said the ministry is watching closely, with strict due diligence aimed at getting value for public money.
The project is a Public-Private Partnership. China Road and Bridge Corporation leads the Rironi to Naivasha phase, and Shandong Hi-Speed is expected to take the Gilgil-Mau Summit section. The road will widen to four lanes, later six, with grade-separated interchanges, modern tolling and intelligent traffic systems. Motorists will pay Ksh8 per kilometre in the first section and Ksh8.50 in the second. The promised gains are less congestion, shorter journeys, safer roads and easier movement of goods and people.
What comes next is whether early December holds, and how Naivasha Junction and the June expansion take shape.
On Friday, October 30, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir stood on the construction site in Naivasha, Nakuru County, with members of the National Assembly's Transport Committee. He had a revised date to give them. The Rironi-Naivasha section of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway, a project valued at Ksh200 billion, would now open in early December 2026. The deadline he had set for that very day had passed.
The new date is a retreat from what Chirchir told Kenyans in September. Then, he said the dualling from Rironi to Naivasha would be finished by October 30, that people would be able to pass smoothly, and that there would be no more traffic on that route. On the site visit, he told the MPs the contractor was working within revised timelines and that the target for the 60-kilometre stretch was now early December. He thanked the committee for coming to see what the government is doing with public funds, and said the aim is to finish the dualling of the Nairobi-Naivasha section by December and open it for use.
He offered figures on the pace of work. More than 90 teams have been deployed along the section, and he said the works are advancing at about four kilometres a week. He also addressed worries about a bitumen shortage, a key material in road construction, saying the government had secured enough supply to finish on time.
Not everything will be done by December, though. Some works will remain at Naivasha Junction, where the government wants an interchange with an overpass and an underpass. Chirchir said a few design works would be left there to complete the stretch. The contractor is also expected to extend construction toward the Gilgil and Mai Mahiu sections, as the government advances plans to expand the wider highway by June next year.
The inspection came amid concerns about how contractors on government projects are performing. Chirchir said the ministry is keenly watching companies awarded public tenders. He said all contractors are undergoing strict due diligence, with the aim of ensuring value for public money, and that the ministry is now attentive to their performance records.
The project is being delivered as a Public-Private Partnership. China Road and Bridge Corporation is handling the first phase, covering Rironi to Naivasha. Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International Engineering is expected to take on the Gilgil-Mau Summit section. The existing two-lane road is being widened to four lanes between Rironi and Naivasha, and the Naivasha to Mau Summit section will later go to six lanes. The plans also include grade-separated interchanges and bypasses at selected points, modern tolling infrastructure, and Intelligent Traffic Management Systems.
Once finished, the highway will operate as a toll road. Motorists are expected to pay Ksh8 per kilometre between Rironi and Naivasha and Ksh8.50 per kilometre between Naivasha and Mau Summit. The stated benefits are less congestion, shorter travel times, better road safety and easier movement of people and goods across the region. What to watch now is whether the early December date holds, and how the Naivasha Junction interchange and the June expansion plans progress.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We want to finish the dualling of the Nairobi-Naivasha section by December and open it for use.— Transport CS Davis Chirchir
All contractors are undergoing due diligence that is done strictly; this is to ensure value for public money.— Transport CS Davis Chirchir
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