KeNHA warns of 10-day traffic disruptions on key Nairobi Highways

Heavy traffic on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway on December 20, 2024. (Photo: St John Ambulance Kenya)

By Maureen Kinyanjui
Friday, July 11, 2025

KeNHA, in a notice published on Tuesday, July 8, revealed it has received a proposal from Multiplex Partners Company for the construction of a 175-kilometre four-lane highway from Rironi to Mau Summit.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has announced that motorists should expect traffic delays along the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Highway and the Nairobi-Maai Mahiu-Naivasha Highway which started on Thursday, July 10, through Sunday, July 20, 2025. The temporary disruption is necessary to allow for interview surveys and data collection aimed at improving road management and planning.

In an official statement, KeNHA explained that the data gathering will involve stopping vehicles to collect information about their journeys. “During the data survey, motorists may be stopped to share their journey details,” the authority said. The surveys include Axle Load Surveys, Origin-Destination Surveys, Camera-Based Cross-Sectional counts, and Turning Movement counts.

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KeNHA urged drivers and other road users to cooperate with police officers and traffic marshals deployed to manage the flow during this period. The authority noted that the data collection is vital for future road upgrades and planning.

This announcement follows approval by the KeNHA and the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Committee of a plan to dual the 175-kilometre stretch from Nairobi to Mau Summit, a project expected to cost around Sh170 million.

KeNHA, in a notice published on Tuesday, July 8, revealed it has received a proposal from Multiplex Partners Company for the construction of a 175-kilometre four-lane highway from Rironi to Mau Summit.

This comes alongside two earlier proposals from China Road and Bridge Corporation and Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International Company to expand the busy road.

While KeNHA has already approved the proposals from the two firms, the Authority is still in the process of verifying the Multiplex Partners Company proposal.

A traffic jam along the Mai Mahiu - Narok Road caused by heavy rains and flooding that deposited debris on the highway on April 28, 2024, highlights the need for road improvements.

According to KeNHA, the proposals from China Road and Bridge Corporation and Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International Company were approved on July 22 by the relevant authorities, giving them a head start on the project.

Meanwhile, Multiplex Partners’ proposal is under evaluation to confirm full compliance with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act of 2021.

“The additional Privately Initiated Proposal will therefore be subjected to the PPP procurement process, which entails mandatory due diligence on the proponent and evaluation of the proposal,” KeNHA stated.

“After completing these processes, KeNHA, the PPP Directorate at the National Treasury, and the PPP Committee will make their respective decisions in accordance with the PPP Act, 2021,” the Authority added.

This update comes less than three months after President William Ruto’s cabinet approved the highway project to help reduce traffic congestion along this heavily used corridor.

The road is a vital part of the Northern Corridor, connecting Nairobi to the Western region and neighbouring countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).