Motorists to pay Sh8 per kilometre on Rironi–Mau Summit Highway

Motorists set to use the upcoming Rironi–Nakuru–Mau Summit Highway will be required to pay Sh8 for every kilometre travelled once the road is completed, in a new charging system outlined by road authorities.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenya National Highways Authority) has confirmed that the 175-kilometre stretch linking Nairobi to Nakuru via Mau Summit will be delivered through a Public–Private Partnership model, where private investors will finance, construct, operate, and maintain the road before handing it back to the State after the agreed period.

The toll system will not involve a fixed entry charge. Instead, it will operate on a distance-based electronic model that calculates fees depending on the exact portion of the highway used by each motorist, with multiple control points along the route handling automatic billing.

For a full trip along the corridor, drivers are expected to pay between Sh1,300 and Sh1,400, depending on final operational adjustments that will be set before the highway becomes fully active.

Authorities have also indicated that the toll rate will not remain unchanged over time. It will increase by about one per cent annually to reflect inflation and rising maintenance costs during the concession period.

The Rironi–Nakuru–Mau Summit Highway (Rironi–Nakuru–Mau Summit Highway) is part of a wider government plan to ease pressure on the busy Northern Corridor, a major transport route linking Nairobi to western Kenya and extending into Uganda. The upgraded road is expected to cut travel time, improve road safety, and support faster movement of goods and passengers.

Officials say the toll arrangement is meant to support long-term maintenance of the road while reducing reliance on public funding, allowing private investors to recover their investment through user payments over the concession period.

Certain categories of essential service vehicles, including ambulances, police, and military transport, are expected to be exempted or granted special arrangements once the system becomes operational.

While the project has been widely welcomed as a major infrastructure boost, it has also sparked debate among motorists and transport operators, with concerns raised over affordability and the rising cost of road use.

The highway is expected to be completed and opened to traffic in the coming years under the government’s ongoing road expansion programme.