Kenyan Rironi–Naivasha road section built by China Road and Bridge Corporation: opening slips from the end of October to December

Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has moved the opening of the Rironi–Naivasha section of the Rironi–Mau Summit highway from the end of October to December 2026, the Daily Nation reported on 31 October. Kenyans.co.ke put the new date at early December.

In a post on X after inspecting the works, Chirchir blamed a shortage of bitumen for delays on the road, Citizen Digital reported on 1 November. He wrote that "bitumen availability has been a challenge in the last 2 months due to the current geopolitical issues" and supply chain disruptions, and that "this has caused some setbacks and unexpected delays". Sections between Rironi and Naivasha are set to open to motorists before the festive season, he said. At Lari he watched the first layer of Dense Bituminous Macadam being laid, and more than 1,000 pieces of heavy-duty machinery have been deployed along the corridor. Kenyans.co.ke reported that Chirchir said bitumen had been secured for the first stretch.

The road is being built by Chinese contractors under public-private partnerships. The Ministry of Roads and Transport says President William Ruto launched Phase I on 28 November 2025 at Kamandura in Kiambu County. Phase I of the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit (A8) road and the Nairobi–Maai Mahiu–Naivasha (A8 South) road runs 139 km from Nairobi to Gilgil and Naivasha.

Phase I is being delivered through a public-private partnership between China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The ministry gives a two-year construction period, a cost of US$863 million and 28 years of operation. Ruto said at the launch: "If we waited for the national budget, we'd have waited a lifetime."

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) selected Shandong Hi-Speed Road & Bridge International Engineering as Preferred Proponent for the Gilgil–Nakuru–Mau Summit section, about 94 km through Nakuru and Baringo counties, The Kenya Times reported on 7 July 2026. The concession runs for 30 years under a design, build, finance, operate, maintain and transfer arrangement, with an initial toll of KSh 8.50 per kilometre.

Pulse Kenya reported on 27 October 2026 that the Shandong section has an estimated cost of KSh 86.346 billion over a 30-year concession period.

The corridor links Nairobi to the Rift Valley, Western Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).