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State awards Sh2.47bn Rumuruti–Nanyuki road contract
Road construction in Bomet East on September 16, 2025. Kenya’s payment of Sh56.9 billion in pending bills has revived road projects and lifted construction growth.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has awarded a Sh2.47 billion contract to tarmac a section of the road from Rumuruti to Nanyuki, as the government moves to kick-start stalled infrastructure projects.
Disclosures to the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority show that Wak Construction will upgrade the Rumuruti–Mutara road to bitumen standards, marking a significant investment in transport infrastructure in Laikipia County.
The contract, awarded on January 8, 2026, will cover Section One of the broader Rumuruti–Mutara–Nanyuki corridor. Works are scheduled to begin on March 24, 2026, and run for nearly five years, with completion expected on March 10, 2031.
Wak Construction is jointly owned by James Njuguna Mburu and Agnes Njeri Mburu, according to disclosures made to KeNHA.
In the current financial year ending June, the National Treasury has allocated Sh206,898,469 to the project.
The project entails upgrading the largely gravel Rumuruti–Mutara stretch into a fully paved road, including earthworks, drainage systems and surfacing. The road forms a key link between Rumuruti and Nanyuki, traversing Laikipia County and connecting to Nyeri County via the Nanyuki axis.
Once complete, the road is expected to ease transport across the agriculturally rich Laikipia region, improve access to markets and reduce travel times. It also carries strategic importance for tourism, enabling smoother connectivity to the Mt Kenya and Nanyuki circuit.
The road’s current condition – largely unpaved and prone to deterioration during rainy seasons – has long constrained mobility, with transporters and farmers facing delays and higher costs. The upgrade is, therefore, expected to improve reliability and lower the cost of doing business in the region.
Rumuruti was gazetted as the official headquarters of Laikipia County at the onset of devolution, largely due to its central location. However, operations remained in Nanyuki for years until December 2023, when Governor Joshua Irungu relocated his office to Rumuruti.
The move faced resistance, particularly from Nanyuki traders who feared it would hurt business activity in the town.
The State has restarted key road projects that had stalled across the country due to Sh650 billion in pending bills owed to both international and local contractors. An estimated 585 road projects had stalled due to the debt.
In 2025, the State unlocked the projects under a return-to-work formula, paying Sh123 billion as part of the settlement of debts accumulated between 2005 and December 2024. Many contractors resumed work in April 2025.
Cash flow constraints forced the government to securitise part of the Roads Maintenance Levy (RML)—set at Sh25 per litre of diesel and petrol—to raise commercial loans.
The government securitised Sh7 from the levy in 2024 and a further Sh5 from July last year, bringing the total securitised portion to Sh12 to raise funds for contractor payments.
