President William Ruto has confirmed that the government will commence the dualling of the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway next year. This announcement comes amid growing frustration from motorists facing hours-long delays during the holiday season due to heavy traffic on the busy route.
President Ruto spoke at AIC Kipkorgot in Eldoret on Sunday and assured Kenyans of the government’s commitment to modernizing this essential transport corridor. He revealed that the initial phase of the project will focus on the Nairobi-Nakuru stretch, with plans to extend the dual carriageway to Malaba in Busia County in the future.
“The commitment that I want to give to you is that next year we will begin the construction of a dual carriageway from Nairobi, first to Nakuru and then from Nakuru later we will take it to Malaba,” Ruto said.
The President also disclosed that a previous Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with a French company to execute the project had fallen through.
Nairobi- Nakuru Highway gridlock. Wameamua kucheza football na utapata hawajuani. Men will be men😂 pic.twitter.com/MGGAixNmVN
— PropesaTV (@PropesaTV) December 20, 2024
However, he reassured the public that the government is actively engaging with other companies to ensure the project proceeds as planned.
“We already have a programme and are in discussions with different companies on how that road is going to be done so that we can ease congestion and provide more transport capability for our infrastructure,” he explained.
The Nairobi-Nakuru-Malaba highway is a vital trade and transport link, connecting Kenya to its East African neighbors and facilitating the movement of goods and people. Its expansion could significantly reduce congestion and enhance efficiency along this critical corridor.
Meanwhile, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has issued a traffic advisory, urging motorists using the busy Nairobi-Nakuru Highway to consider alternative routes.
KeNHA recommended the Naivasha-Njabini-Olkalou-Dundori-Lanet-Nakuru route as one of the alternatives. The Authority also suggested the Flyover-Njabini-Olkalou-Dundori-Lanet-Nakuru route and the Ngong-Suswa-Narok-Mau Narok-Nakuru highway to ease congestion on the main highway.
