Rironi-Naivasha Road: Chirchir Promises One Kilometre a Day After Missing October DeadlineRironi-Naivasha Road: Chirchir Promises One Kilometre a Day After Missing October Deadline

The pledge matters to anyone moving goods or people on the Northern Corridor. The 60 km stretch is part of the KSh 200 billion ($1.54 billion) Rironi-Mau Summit project, and the opening date has slipped from 30 October to early December, with the government now promising to open the section before the end of 2026.

What Chirchir has promised

In an interview with The Historian, broadcast by CGTN, Chirchir said: "We will be doing a kilometre every day." He added that once the road base is finished, "the remaining will just be the top polishing layer", which lets crews lay the final asphalt faster.

Crews have so far progressed at about four kilometres a week. A kilometre a day, if sustained seven days a week, would be about seven kilometres a week, so the claim implies a rate close to double the current pace. Chirchir has not said how many kilometres remain, so the finish date cannot be checked from his statement alone.

He said bitumen supply constraints that interrupted work have been addressed, and that 10 asphalt pavers are already in Mombasa, with more equipment expected. He acknowledged that some road furniture may still be outstanding when the road opens.

A deadline that has moved twice

In September 2026, Chirchir announced 30 October as the date motorists could use the completed dual carriageway. After inspecting the works with the National Assembly's Transport and Infrastructure Committee in Naivasha, he moved the opening to early December. More than 90 teams were deployed along the route during that inspection.

China Road and Bridge Corporation is the contractor for the Rironi-Naivasha phase, according to the State Department for Roads, which announced the dualling works. The wider corridor to Mau Summit is targeted for completion in June 2027.

What it means for freight and tolls

No figure has been published for freight savings, and the government has given no toll rates, although motorists are expected to pay tolls once the road is operational. Until those rates are known, transporters cannot price the saving from a faster route against the cost of using it.

The safety record on the corridor adds pressure to finish. The road safety regulator recently asked the government to treat crashes as a national disaster, as Mwenendo reported after a fatal collision on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.

Road building is also a test of how Kenya delivers large projects. The KeNHA rural roads programme and plans to bring private investors into Mombasa port depend on the same credibility on timelines.

What to check next

Readers can judge the new target by three things: the weekly kilometres actually laid, any announcement of the remaining distance, and publication of toll rates before opening.