During the State of the Nation address that was delivered in parliament on Thursday November 20, President William Ruto unleashed a fresh tale of promises. The president claimed that his government has identified 20 city and rural roads that he wants to covert into dual highways over the next ten years.
He claimed that the Ministry of Roads and Transport has mapped out 2,500 highways for dualling and some additional 28,000 kilometres of roads that are to be tarmacked. The first of these roads is the 170 kilometre dualling of the Rironi Mau-Summit highway whose construction is yet to start.
“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: From only 2,000 roads, they constructed over a million kilometres of paved roads in seven decades, while Kenya has constructed just 22,000 km, over a relatively similar period,” claimed Ruto.
“The gridlock that paralyses these roads every day, especially on weekends and holidays, will soon be history.”
In addition to the Rironi-Naivasha-Nakuru-Mau Summit road, other city and rural roads that are to be dualled include the Mau-Summit-Kericho-Kisumu highway, Kisumu-Busia road, Mau-Summit-Eldoret-Malaba highway, Athi River-Namanga road, Makutano-Embu-Meru-Maua road, Mtwapa-Malindi, Rironi-Maai-Mahiu-Naivasha road.
Machakos Junction-Mariakani road, Karatina-Nanyuki-Isiolo road, Mombasa-Lunga Lunga road, Kericho-Kisii-Migori-Isebania road, Nakuru-Nyahururu-Karatina road, Kisii-Oyugis-Ahero road, Northern Bypass road, Muthaiga-Kiambu-Ndumberi road.
James Gichuru road, Bomas-Karen-Ngong road, Bomas-Ongata Rongai-Kiserian road, Ngong-Isinya road.
According to the president, these projects will be undertaken with funding drawn from the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) and the National Infrastructure Fund (NIF) which are yet to be formed.
These funds will be the source of some Sh5 trillion capital that President Ruto claims is required to fund the construction of hundreds of dams, tarmacking and dualling of roads, and the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway line to Kisumu and Malaba from Naivasha.
However, for a president who is widely accused of making fake promises and stretching the truth, these claims are set to face criticism, with critics arguing that the numbers touted by the president are out of touch with the reality.
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