Motorists Association Lifts Lid on 20-Year Delay of Rironi–Naivasha Dual Carriageway

The Motorist Association of Kenya (MAK) has questioned why the Rironi–Naivasha Dual Carriageway took nearly two decades to materialise, arguing that the speed of the ongoing works exposes years of unnecessary delay.

In an observation shared on X on September, 11, 2026, the association said the Rironi–Naivasha Dual Carriageway works have moved rapidly from earthworks and base/sub-base construction to the overlay stage, raising questions over why authorities did not undertake the upgrade progressively years earlier.

“The ease and speed with which the Rironi–Naivasha section is being expanded into a dual carriageway is, in our view, a serious indictment of KeNHA and the State Department for Roads. The rapid progress from earthworks and base/sub-base construction to the overlay demonstrates that the 16–20 years of waiting was unnecessary. Progressive upgrading could have delivered a dual carriageway from the Port of Mombasa through Nairobi, Rironi, Naivasha and Mau Summit, and onward to Malaba and Busia via Kisumu long time ago,” the association said.

Rironi–Naivasha Dual Carriageway Delay Raises Concerns

For years, MAK said, motorists endured avoidable challenges along the busy corridor, including loss of lives, huge hospital bills and property damage caused by head collisions.

Beyond those losses, the association cited nerve-wracking traffic jams during festive seasons and prolonged overnight gridlocks whenever serious crashes occurred, highlighting the importance of the Rironi–Naivasha Dual Carriageway.

“Instead, Kenyans endured years of avoidable loss of life and huge hospital bills, property damage caused by head collisions, nerve-wracking gridlocks during festive seasons, Gilgil passing-out parades and prolonged overnight gridlock paralysis whenever serious road crashes occurred. If a solution that was apparently achievable is only now being implemented, the question of official negligence cannot simply be wished away,” MAK stated.

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Consequently, MAK argued that the rapid implementation raises questions about whether road agencies could have addressed the challenges much earlier instead of allowing the problems to persist for years.

MAK Questions Proposed Road Tolling

Meanwhile, the association criticised the proposed public-private partnership model for the wider Mombasa–Nairobi corridor, particularly plans to toll an existing public highway for 30 years.

“It is particularly disconcerting that road-agency mandarins kept Kenyans waiting for a PPP concession that would subject an existing public highway to tolling for 30 years. A public road built and maintained on public land must not be converted into a private revenue stream simply because it is upgraded,” it stated.

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Further, MAK questioned the proposed Ksh 200 billion investment and the withdrawal of American companies from the proposed Mombasa–Nairobi arrangement, saying the developments should prompt scrutiny of the commercial, legal and public-acceptance risks surrounding tolling.

Instead of relying on a long-term concession, the association proposed alternative financing mechanisms for road development, including a temporary Ksh 5 or Ksh 10 per litre contribution from motorists.

According to MAK, motorists already carry a significant tax burden but could support a transparent, clearly defined and time-bound road programme if they understood how their contributions would fund infrastructure.

Finally, the association argued that China should receive payment as a contractor for delivering the infrastructure rather than receive a long-term concession over the public highway.

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A photo of the Rironi–Naivasha Dual Carriageway. PHOTO/ Davis Chirchir X