DCP Secretary for Planning and Economic Affairs Peter Mbae has criticised plans to toll the Rironi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway, warning that additional charges could increase transport costs, hurt businesses and place further pressure on Kenyans already facing a high cost of living.
Speaking during a Radio Generation interview on Monday, Mbae said motorists already contribute to road development through taxes and fuel levies and should not be required to pay again to use an important public highway.
“A public road is a public good. You cannot toll and say there is no alternative. If you want people to pay for a road, build an expressway from Kangemi to the Malaba border. People should have a choice,” Mbae said.
The Rironi-Nakuru-Mau Summit project is a major Northern Corridor infrastructure programme linking Nairobi with the Rift Valley and western Kenya.
The project covers about 233 kilometres, comprising the approximately 175-kilometre A8 section from Rironi to Mau Summit and the Rironi-Mai Mahiu-Naivasha section of about 58-59 kilometres.
The current project emerged after an earlier French-backed arrangement was cancelled, with the government subsequently moving to a new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model involving Chinese contractors. Construction began in November 2025, following the launch of the project by President William Ruto on November 28, 2025.
The government has said the upgraded highway will be tolled. KeNHA announced in June 2026 that the proposed toll would be Sh8 per kilometre, meaning a motorist travelling the full 233-kilometre distance could pay about Sh1,864 for a one-way journey.
The concessionaires are expected to operate the road for 28 years after construction before the asset is transferred back to government.
Mbae argued that the toll would disproportionately affect motorists who depend on the highway for regular travel, particularly people living and doing business along the corridor.
“If you want a direct route to Eldoret, Malaba and Kisumu, it is that route. The alternatives are just longer,” he said.
He argued that residents along the corridor could end up paying repeatedly simply to access their homes and businesses.
“You want those guys to pay? Those guys will pay to go to their home. The way I move every day to and fro from Nakuru and Nairobi, I will pay Sh1,200 return journey, Sh2,400,” Mbae said.
The proposed tolling has already generated opposition during public participation forums.
In September 2025, residents in Naivasha questioned the plan to charge motorists, describing it as double taxation and calling for a viable alternative route.
Public participation was conducted along the project corridor.
KeNHA says stakeholder engagement and public participation exercises were held between August 18 and September 8, 2025, while specific civic engagement forums were scheduled in areas including Naivasha, Mau Summit, Gilgil, Nakuru, Salgaa and Mai Mahiu.
Mbae nevertheless maintained that public participation had not addressed concerns over the potential economic impact of tolling, warning that additional charges could discourage businesses and undermine the road’s intended role in facilitating the movement of goods, services, tourists and investors between Nairobi and Nakuru.
Construction is now progressing along several sections. As of August 2026, the Rironi-Naivasha section was reported to be about 80% complete, with the contractor targeting completion of tarmacking by December.
KeNHA put overall construction progress from Rironi towards Mau Summit at about 20%, with the Rironi-Nakuru section expected to become usable by Madaraka Day in 2027.
The government launched the 94-kilometre Gilgil-Nakuru-Mau Summit section in November 2025 at an estimated value of Sh87.5265 billion, with completion targeted for 2027.
The DCP Planning secretary maintained that a future DCP administration would review the project, including its financial arrangements and tolling model.
“For me, the government will call the Chinese and tell them, ‘Whatever happened, you are contracted. So can we do the audit of the road?’ There are international standards of doing a road anywhere in the world. We agree on how much it costs, and once we agree, we take over the road.”
The PPP Directorate has defended the model, saying the project remains government-owned and that private financing is intended to reduce pressure on public finances.
It says Kenya requires about Sh4 trillion for roads over the next decade, including Sh3 trillion for new development, while annual road maintenance needs are estimated at Sh253 billion against about Sh100 billion collected through the Road Maintenance Levy Fund.
Mbae, however, concluded that infrastructure policy should prioritise lowering the cost of movement and stimulating economic activity rather than imposing additional charges on citizens.
“These are some of the things we are telling Kenyans will be on the ballot. If you say no, and we come in as government, we must be determined to make it a public, free public road.”