The long wait for the dualling of Rironi-Mau Summit Road spanning decades, is finally over as phased construction picks up momentum at Kamandura in Kiambu County.
President Ruto, who launched the 175-kilometre road two weeks ago, is on the verge of making history by delivering one of the country’s long-awaited projects and one of the busiest roads in terms of traffic volumes.
“With modern engineering, innovation and accountability, this road will cut travel time, reduce accidents and save lives,” President Ruto said.
President Ruto also said that the expansion and modernisation of this crucial road is a pivotal part of his administration to address historical infrastructure gaps adding that it will go a long way toward boosting regional trade by easing connection between Kenya and other East African countries.
At the same time, excitement is still palpable, two weeks after President Ruto launched the ambitious road project signalling an end to one of the notorious traffic jams in the country, where travellers have in the past slept on the road.
Lawrence Domba, a resident of Limuru, narrated the pain travellers go through, especially during the festive season like Easter and Christmas. “Looking briefly at the history of this road,
It has caused very serious challenges, especially traffic jams and accidents,” he said.
There has been severe congestion, vehicles get stuck for hours, people end up sleeping on the road, and there have been many accidents happening, he pointed out.
He called upon the contractor to speed up the project as President Ruto directed during the launch, one and a half years.
“Once this road is opened, it will be a very big help, especially for us residents of Limuru.
It will open up our town and will also help greatly in business as well as tourism,” said Domba.
Samuel Kigamba, another resident, said the persistent gridlock and accidents happen because the road is narrow and can no longer accommodate the huge volumes of traffic.
The road connects Nairobi and Mombasa with other East African countries like Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, South Sudan and Burundi, among others. “We thank God,
because about two weeks ago, the President came here and launched this road project,” Kigamba said.
“This road has been very narrow. Especially during Easter and during seasons like Christmas, this road experiences very heavy traffic jams,” he stated. “Many accidents happen, and sometimes up to ten vehicles crash into each other,” he observed.
Although it is one of the fast roads to be tarmacked, the dualling and expansion of the Nairobi-Nakuru highway started gaining traction during the late President Mwai Kibaki’s era, but it never materialised.
Now, a consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is building the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit road project which is expected to revolutionise transport in the region.
