The Cabinet has set a clear plan to upgrade the 170-kilometre Rironi-Mau Summit road.
The construction framework must be finalized and the groundbreaking held by June 1, 2025, with the road expected to be completed in 2027.
The project will convert the current single-carriageway into a four-lane dual-carriageway to ease traffic along the route linking Nairobi to Western Kenya.
“This road development is expected to ease transport and travel from Nairobi through Nakuru to Western Kenya, a route that has long suffered from serious traffic congestion on weekends and during national holidays,” reads cabinet dispatch on Tuesday.
Originally, the project was awarded to a consortium of French firms during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s second term.
However, following discussions between President Ruto and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, the contract has now been given to a Chinese firm.
“We also agreed to discuss regional infrastructure projects such as the expansion of the SGR and the Rironi-Mau Summit-Malaba dual carriageway, President Ruto posted on his X handle last year, highlighting plans to extend the road to the Kenya-Uganda border town of Malaba.
In another development, the Cabinet approved amendments to the Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) Act, 2008. The Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aims to modernize the financial and technological operations of credit societies, especially the smaller ones.
Key measures include the formation of a SACCO Shared Services Framework to pool resources, the establishment of a Central Liquidity Facility for inter-SACCO transactions and short-term lending, and reforms to the Deposit Guarantee Fund to better protect SACCO deposits.
“By lowering operational costs, fostering innovation, and boosting public confidence, these reforms position SACCOs as key players in Kenya’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment agenda,” cabinet dispatch reads further.
The move comes after warnings from the Commission of Cooperatives.