President William Ruto has directed the commencement of construction works on a 190-kilometre road network across several counties in the Rift Valley region, with the project expected to be officially launched within the next two weeks.
Speaking during the final send-off of the late Johana Ng’eno in Emurua Dikirr, Narok County, on Friday, the Head of State said the road projects would be undertaken in honour of the late legislator, whom he described as having been a strong advocate for improved road infrastructure in the South Rift region.
A major part of the road construction will begin from the late MP’s home area at Mogondo, extending to Mogor and further connecting to Soit, forming part of the broader regional transport development plan.
“We have already authorised the tendering process for the road, and the CS Transport Davis Chirchir is here, and we will be sending the Deputy President in the next two weeks to come and officially launch the construction works,” Ruto announced.
The project will also include the Chebole to Emurua Dikirr road, where the government has decided to abandon earlier recarpeting plans in favour of full reconstruction.
The government said the existing road section is built using low-volume bitumen technology, which will now be upgraded to meet higher classification standards under the new development programme.
The new construction strategy will upgrade the road to Class B classification, aimed at improving durability, traffic capacity, and long-term regional connectivity.
The transport network will also link to the proposed Rironi-Mau Summit Expressway, with another road planned from the Rongai junction and expected to traverse multiple Rift Valley corridors.
The route will pass through Salgaa along the Mau Summit road, move through Embomos to Konoin, connect to Chebole and Dikirr, and eventually extend toward Enosain and parts of the Nyanza region, with parts of the funds set to be provided for by the World Bank and other development partners.
“The road will be 190 kilometres, I have directed the Transport CS that by July we should have finalised with the World Bank and other development partners so that I can officially come for the launch of the construction works,” Ruto added.
The government plans to deploy three contractors simultaneously on different sections of the project in an effort to accelerate completion timelines, potentially before the 2027 general elections.
This comes after Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said a section of the Rironi-Mau Summit road project is expected to be completed within the next month.
The PS indicated that the 81-kilometre Rironi–Gilgil section, which is being implemented by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), is scheduled for completion by mid-2026. He further stated that the Rironi-Naivasha-Gilgil and Rironi-Maai Mahiu-Naivasha sections are expected to be fully operational by April 2027, following the launch of the project in November 2025.
Meanwhile, the President also announced a commitment of Ksh20 million for land acquisition to support the construction of a university in Emurua Dikirr, alongside an additional Ksh750 million earmarked for the development of the institution and student hostels.
The proposed university will operate initially as a constituent college of the Maasai Mara University in Narok County, a project that has been under discussion for several years.