The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) released a model of the Rironi–Mau Summit Highway, which is currently under construction.
KeNHA displayed the model at an exhibition held at the Nakuru ASK showground on Saturday, July 4, showing Kenyans how the multibillion-dollar highway will look when it finishes. The display highlighted major features of the planned highway, including multi-level interchanges, dual carriageways, weighbridges, and urban connections along the corridor.
The model also featured the Lanet and Gilgil interchanges, along with Nakuru City. It showed how the expressway will improve travel links between major towns along the Northern Corridor.
Once completed, KeNHA will rebuild the Lanet interchange. The rebuild will connect the main road from Nairobi to Nakuru (A104 Highway) with the roads to Lanet and Dundori. The project aims to reduce heavy traffic congestion and make it easier for drivers to reach key areas like the Lanet military camp and the military airport.
The interchange includes a prominent raised, multi-lane highway that will carry high-capacity traffic smoothly above local access routes.
The project will also create a key junction that links the main highway corridor to nearby areas such as Ol Kalou.
Beneath and beside the elevated deck, the design shows curved merging lanes and underpasses. These features will help vehicles shift between local roads and the summit highway without stopping traffic.
In the city area, the highway becomes a multi-lane corridor that runs alongside the urban centre. This arrangement will let transit vehicles move through efficiently while still providing convenient entry and exit points.
The model presents this section alongside multi-storey high-rise buildings and commercial blocks. It shows how the upgraded infrastructure will blend with Nakuru’s expanding skyline and economic hubs.
The model also highlights other parts of the highway, including the Gilgil interchange and the weigh bridge, which the authority will modernise into a new facility.
The Rironi–Mau Summit Highway aims to cut traffic congestion on one of Kenya’s busiest routes. The road runs between Nairobi and Nakuru and provides access to western Kenya and neighbouring East African countries.
The project targets completion before July 2027. It also aims to shorten travel times, improve road safety, and support smoother movement of goods and passengers along the corridor.
After completion, drivers who want to use the highway will need to pay tolls. KeNHA plans a tariff of Ksh 8 per kilometre, since the 139-kilometre route will operate as a toll road for the next 30 years under the existing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
As a result, motorists traveling the full Nairobi-to-Nakuru route will pay about Ksh 1,112 per trip, based on the current toll rate.
