President William Ruto defended the road contract exit payment during remarks in Nyali.
President William Ruto says Kenya paid to avoid a costly court battle and secured a cheaper road contract with lower toll charges.
President William Ruto has defended Kenya’s KSh6.4 billion payment to exit the previous Rironi-Mau Summit road contract. He said the settlement avoided a potentially larger legal bill and cleared the way for construction.
Speaking at the Kenya Comprehensive School Heads Association conference in Nyali, Mombasa County, Ruto argued that the replacement agreement offers better value. He cited lower construction costs, a longer road and reduced toll charges.
The President said the French company awarded the contract in 2020 had built no road after six years. Instead, he said, the firm took the government to court over the project.
Ruto also said he approached French President Emmanuel Macron to help resolve the dispute. He maintained that the contractor lacked the capacity to deliver the road.
Rironi-Mau Summit road costs and tolls
Ruto said the government chose a $50 million settlement, equivalent to KSh6.4 billion, rather than continuing litigation. He estimated that the court case could have cost $200 million to $300 million, or KSh25.8 billion to KSh38.7 billion.
Even then, he argued, Kenya risked paying that amount without securing the road. By contrast, he put the current construction cost at KSh191 billion, against KSh249 billion under the earlier agreement.
The President described the difference as savings of nearly KSh60 billion. He also said the new project covers 210 kilometres, compared with 175 kilometres under the previous contract.
In addition, the current design includes a 70-kilometre, six-lane section between Naivasha and Nakuru. The earlier agreement provided for four lanes on that stretch.
Motorists would also pay KSh8 per kilometre in tolls, rather than KSh12 under the old arrangement, Ruto said. He put construction progress at 40 per cent and pledged to keep the work on course.
Further highway expansion plans
Meanwhile, Ruto said the government had secured funding for a feasibility study on extending the dual carriageway. The proposed routes would reach Malaba through Eldoret, with another corridor passing through Kericho, Kisii and Kisumu.
He also announced plans to dual the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. The government would release details shortly, he said, expressing hope that construction could begin the following year.
For that project, Ruto pledged to pursue financing that would not require additional taxes or public debt. He also defended his close supervision of government projects as part of his responsibility to account for public money.
Responding to criticism of the road agreement, the President dismissed it as propaganda. He maintained that the revised terms deliver more road capacity at a lower cost.
