Kenya’s effort to enhance one of its busiest trade routes has gained international backing after the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) approved a USD 3.15 million (around Sh408 million) grant for a feasibility study of the Mau Summit–Malaba road. The approval was granted during the MCDF Governing Committee meeting in Beijing on November 25, 2025.
The funding will cover preparations for a public-private partnership (PPP) aimed at upgrading the 243-kilometre stretch connecting Mau Summit in Nakuru County to Malaba at the Uganda border.
This route is a vital link in East Africa, facilitating movement of goods to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern DR Congo, and northern Tanzania, and is a crucial segment of the Northern Corridor and the Trans-African Highway Network.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will implement the study, marking its first standalone investment in Kenya and its first attempt at structuring a PPP in Africa.
The Mau Summit–Malaba road carries millions of tonnes of cargo each year, and upgrading it is expected to reduce transport delays, improve safety, and lower costs for importers and exporters along the corridor.
“The feasibility study will assess the project’s technical viability, resilience to climate and engineering risks, environmental and social safeguards, and tolling affordability,” MCDF Senior Communications Officer David Hendrickson said in a statement.
“It will also foster a transparent, bankable PPP aligned with International Financial Institution standards and able to mobilize substantial private investment as well as prepare the project’s PPP structure, contract, and tendering documents.”
The new assessment will build on a pre-feasibility study already supported by AIIB, following a formal request from the Kenyan government to accelerate the project’s development. The feasibility work will explore road designs, potential dual carriageway expansions, accident reduction measures, and ways to improve traffic flow along sections of the corridor known for congestion and high accident rates.
Officials expect the upgrade to ease bottlenecks, minimize truck idling, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance overall logistics efficiency. In addition, the study will prepare PPP contracts, tender documents, and investment frameworks, ensuring the project is attractive to private investors while meeting international environmental and social standards.
If realized, the Mau Summit–Malaba upgrade will join the Nairobi Expressway as a prominent example of Kenya’s growing network of PPP-led transport projects. The corridor’s improvement is seen as a key step in supporting regional trade, facilitating smoother cross-border movement, and enhancing economic integration in East and Central Africa.
