Four years, 160 deaths and the delayed dualling of Rironi-Mau summit road

For years, the Nairobi-Nakuru- Eldoret highway has earned its reputation as one of the most perilous roads in Kenya, with countless lives lost in fatal accidents along its winding stretches.

Despite calls for urgent intervention, the much-needed upgrade to a dual carriageway through the Rironi-Mau Summit road section remains on the back burner.

The national and county governments have faced criticism for their slow response to this looming crisis.

The issue of dualling the road was first brought up in 2019, with the government proposing a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to construct the road for Sh. 90.3 billion.

However, the matter was revisited in 2021. That same year, several tragic incidents along the highway claimed over 16 lives.

Initiated by former President Uhuru Kenyatta the project did not kick off after the Kenya Kwanza administration put it on hold saying they were reviewing the cost.

The following year, six deaths were reported.

In 2023, 78 deaths were recorded in a series of road accidents, with the most fatal being one on July 1, 2023, at the Londiani Junction.

A lorry carrying cement collided with multiple vehicles, resulting in the tragic death of 52 people, including roadside traders and their customers.

The following year, the government resumed its plans to expand the road with President William Ruto noting that it had been on hold for some time and plans to break ground for the project would be at the end of the year. The same year over 60 people died.

Still, nothing happened.

Now in 2025, the Cabinet has directed the finalization of the construction framework and ground breaking of the multibillion-shilling project for June this year.

This will see the 170km road upgraded from the current single carriageway to a dual carriageway with a target date of June 2027, just within 24 months.

On March 14 this year, 14 people were killed when a trailer rammed into a matatu in Migaa area. This is the same spot where another 14 lost their lives on August 21 last year.

While the government skirts around the issue of delaying the project’s much-needed implementation, over 160 lives have been lost on this infamous stretch.

The revisit on the issue comes when Nakuru residents and motorists in the county and across the country have been demanding better infrastructure to reduce accidents and improve travel.

Questions have been raised about whether the government's recent efforts will be sufficient to address the safety concerns along this stretch or if it will be too little, too late for those who have already lost their lives on this notorious road.

*Note that the data here was tallied by Mtaa Wangu, from online published news articles, and may not actually represent the accurate data as others go unreported in the media. This however does not mean we are on the wrong trajectory. The data also looks at the stretch going in and out of Nakuru County on either side and not beyond the county.