The government has clarified why the statutory disclosure for the Rironi-Mau Summit Expressway Public Private Partnership (PPP) project did not explicitly mention that the road would be developed as a dual carriageway, saying the notice was only intended to disclose the execution of the transaction and its key commercial terms.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The clarification came in response to a post by Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Charles Kanjama questioning why the disclosure appeared to indicate the project would end at Gilgil instead of extending further towards Nakuru as previously planned and noting that the disclosure did not mention a dual carriageway.

In a statement posted on June 25, Director General of the PPP Directorate Kefa Seda said the statutory disclosure published under Sections 59 and 69 of the Public Private Partnerships Act should be read together with the executed Project Agreement, with each document serving a different legal purpose.

He explained that while the disclosure informs the public that the transaction has been executed and outlines its key commercial terms, the Project Agreement, together with its output specifications and technical schedules, contains the legally enforceable engineering and operational requirements governing the concession.

📌 What You Need to Know

“The statutory notice communicates the execution of the transaction and its material commercial terms, whereas the Project Agreement, together with its Output Specifications and technical schedules, prescribes the legally enforceable obligations governing the concession, including the engineering scope, corridor capacity, operational performance, service levels, lifecycle maintenance obligations and asset handback requirements that define the investment throughout the concession period,” he wrote.

He added, “The road corridor was split into two sections and will be developed/maintained by two separate entities.”

The clarification further stated that the Nairobi-Nakuru corridor has been divided into two separate PPP concessions, with the China Road and Bridge Corporation and the National Social Security Fund (CRBC-NSSF Consortium) responsible for the Rironi-Gilgil section and Shandong Hi-Speed undertaking the Gilgil–Mau Summit section.

According to the government, the reference to Gilgil in the executed Project Agreement reflects the approved scope of the first PPP transaction and does not signify that the overall corridor project has been shortened.

The Project Agreement requires the CRBC-NSSF Consortium to develop, finance, operate and maintain approximately 139 kilometres of road infrastructure comprising 81 kilometres of the A8 Road and 58 kilometres of the A8 South Road.

The agreement also requires the consortium to expand the Rironi-Naivasha road into a continuous four-lane dual carriageway and the Naivasha–Gilgil road into a continuous six-lane dual carriageway.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke