AfDB Approves Sh18 Billion Loan for Construction of Nairobi-Mau Summit Highway

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) Board of Directors has approved financing of $150 million (about Sh18 billion) to Kenya to support the development of the Nairobi-Mau Summit highway.

The funding represents about 10 percent of the Sh180 billion required for the upgrade of the 190-kilometer road by the Rift Valley Connect Consortium, which comprises French construction companies Vinci Highways SAS, Meridian Infrastructure Africa Fund, and Vinci Concessions SAS.

The contract, which was signed during Kenyatta’s visit to France in 2020, will be undertaken on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

Rift Valley Connect is expected to design, finance, construct, operate and maintain the expressway and recoup its investment from motorists in the form of toll fees for 30 years.

The project will see the highway expanded into a four-lane dual carriageway from Rironi to Mau Summit via Naivasha and Nakuru. It will also involve rehabilitation of the Mai Mahiu-Naivasha Road and the setting up of toll stations on the highway.

The two roads form part of the strategic “Northern Corridor” which is the busiest trade and transport corridor in East Africa, providing gateway access to Kenya’s landlocked neighboring countries.

The project is expected to generate 1,500 jobs during construction and 200 during operation and has at least 40 percent local content in form of labor and locally sourced materials.