NAIROBI, Kenya — President William Ruto has unveiled a landmark 10-year infrastructure programme to overhaul Kenya’s road network, announcing plans to dual 2,500 km of highways and tarmac 28,000 km of rural and urban roads.
Delivering the State of the Nation Address in Parliament, President Ruto underscored the importance of transport and logistics to Kenya’s economic growth and regional competitiveness.
He drew a parallel with post-war Japan, noting how strategic road-building fueled its transformation.
“History teaches us that nations rise on the strength of transport and logistics. Japan’s post-war revival … enabled by strategic road expansion … is a clear example,” Ruto said, adding that Japan had built more than a million kilometres of paved roads in seven decades, compared to Kenya’s 22,000 km over a similar period.
To launch the programme, Ruto revealed that next week he will break ground on two major road projects: the 170 km dualing of the Rironi–Naivasha–Nakuru–Mau Summit road and the 58 km Rironi–Maai Mahiu–Naivasha stretch.
Ruto thrills MPs with promises to dual a long list of major roads and extend the metre-gauge railway to Malaba via Kisumu — projects that could cost over Sh5 trillion. He suggests tapping the National Infrastructure Fund, PPPs and Privatization of public assets
He said these routes routinely suffer “paralysing gridlock,” especially on weekends and holidays, which the upgrades are designed to eliminate.
Other roads slated for dualing include:
- Muthaiga–Kiambu–Ndumberi
- Machakos Junction–Mariakani
- Mau Summit–Kericho–Kisumu
- Kisumu–Busia
- Mau Summit–Eldoret–Malaba
- Athi River–Namanga
- Karatina–Nanyuki–Isiolo
- Makutano–Embu–Meru–Maua
- And other key routes such as Mtwapa–Malindi, Mombasa–Lunga Lunga, Kericho–Kisii–Migori–Isebania, and urban bypasses in Nairobi.
Beyond roads, the President also outlined plans to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha toward Kisumu and Malaba, strengthening the regional rail corridor.
Work on the infrastructure programme is due to begin in January 2026. Ruto said the upgrades will not only ease travel times but also boost trade, create jobs, and improve farmers’ access to markets.
To fund these investments, the government will lean on public-private partnerships to modernise key transport hubs, including Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Mombasa and Lamu ports, while addressing long-term operational challenges at Kenya Airways, with a target to resolve them by 2026.
