Trade CS Lee Kinyanjui urges Nakuru businesses to tap into opportunities presented by the Rironi–Mau Summit road expansion

Nakuru business community have been challenged to take advantage of the highly awaited Rironi-Mau summit highway, as survey of the critical road expansion continues.

Speaking at a roundtable event in Nakuru, Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Lee Kinyanjui informed the investors that there is part of the contract dubbed ‘local contract’, where local contractors can bid to provide building materials, among other needed items.

“You should be thinking of how many bags of cement will be needed, vehicles to ferry the construction crew, fuel and even the accommodation needed during construction,” Mr Kinyanjui chided.

He further asked the investors to start planning for the opportunities that the complete stretch will bring in.

“Right now, some organizations choose to have conferences in Naivasha because driving to say Gilgil or Nakuru from Nairobi is tedious. But with the road, in one and a half hours, people can come to Nakuru. When that happens, the current hotels will not be able to meet even 30 percent of the demand,” Kinyanjui added, prompting agreement from the keen room.

The Trade CS went ahead to entice the possibilities of the 175-kilometre road that is expected to cost Sh180 billion and is expected to be completed in 2027.

According to Mr Kinyanjui, the problem previously with such massive projects was that the local investors rarely aligned with the project, therefore missing out on its benefits.

“Even for Nakuru farmers. It will be possible to send your produce to say Nairobi in an hour and a half therefore accessing a larger market with fresher produce. I tell you things will change completely after this road is built,” a passionate Kinyanjui stated.

However, the Trade CS did not shy away from mentioning some of the challenges expected to crop up from the expansion of the road, including the presence of poor feeder roads in the towns.

This he said could result in the smaller roads choking from the traffic coming through the highway, thus asking the County’s urban planning department to improve the road infrastructure.

Another challenge Kinyanjui brought up was the likelihood of some businesses being moved or even brought down to make way for the superhighway.

“I know there are concerns of people being affected by the construction, but the long-term benefit of this road is greater than the concerns,” he noted.

On their part, representatives from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (Whitney) and Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Ruth Ndung’u) asked that the Ministry inform them of these expected changes early enough, to prevent loss of life and property should some businesses be brought down.

The Rironi-Mau Summit road has suffered delays in the past, with the initial processes finally being kicked off about a month ago by surveyors who are currently assessing the stretch before the work begins.