When governments talk about “infrastructure”, citizens expect durable public goods — roads, railways, hospitals — built with public funds for the public good. What they do not expect is to be charged twice (or more) for the same service. Yet that is precisely what the plan for the Rironi–Mau Summit Road (A8) threatens: a needless turn toward tolling, privatization, and lifetime profit-making for private contractors, at the expense of Kenyan motorists and taxpayers.
I believe the Rironi–Mau Summit corridor should be financed by the exchequer, not subject to tolls under a public–private partnership (PPP). The toll plan should be stopped: morally, legally, economically, and constitutionally.
The Rironi–Mau Summit Road: vital, long overdue — but already public
To begin with, the Rironi–Mau Summit Highway is not a new road being carved out of virgin land. It is part of the existing A8 corridor that connects Nairobi (via Rironi) to Nakuru, Mau Summit and beyond — a backbone of the national transport network.
For decades, this road has served millions: motorists, commercial transporters, commuters, farmers moving produce, traders and long-haul drivers connecting Kenya’s port at Mombasa to western Kenya and the broader Great Lakes region.
The need to upgrade it — to dual carriageway standard — is real. Traffic volumes have surged; accident rates along this stretch are among the highest in the country.
So far, so good. But that alone does not justify transforming a public highway — built on public land, funded (directly or indirectly) by public taxation — into a revenue-generating toll franchise for private operators.
Tolling the already taxed: the double-taxation outrage
At the heart of opposition to the toll plan lies a simple but irrefutable principle: Kenyan motorists already pay for roads. Through taxes, levies, and the now-infamous fuel/toll levy (e.g., the Road Maintenance Levy Fund — RMLF), citizens have for decades contributed to road construction and maintenance.
To impose another charge — a per-kilometre toll of Sh 8/km on a road that is already in the public domain — is not just unfair. It is exploitative. The argument by the Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) is unassailable: this is “double taxation, unlawful tolling, and the creeping transformation of Kenya’s public roads into lifetime revenue streams for private concessionaires.”
Even worse, this comes at a time when fuel prices are already inflated not just by global dynamics but by repeated increases in levies and taxes on fuel — meaning that Kenyans are already paying more, at the pumps, for fuel, ostensibly to maintain roads and highways.
If the toll goes ahead, ordinary Kenyans — traders, commuters, business owners — will end up paying twice: first in fuel levies and taxes, then again at each toll gate. That is not justice. It is highway robbery.
The PPP model is legally and morally dubious for public assets
The plan is to construct the “new” highway under a PPP model: private companies will build, operate and maintain the road for ~30 years, collecting tolls to recoup costs — before transferring it back to the government.
But repurposing an existing public corridor into a “concession” strips away public ownership and control. It effectively privatizes what should remain a public good. Petitioners have argued before the courts that this constitutes a surrender of national assets, compromising sovereignty and long-term national interests.
Legally, many critics argue, the use of PPP/BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) on an existing road violates the spirit (if not the letter) of the law. A proper toll road — under BOT — should be built on newly acquired, privately-owned land; it must leave the existing public highway intact as a free alternative for those unwilling or unable to pay.
That was respected, for example, with the Nairobi Expressway — where the toll road is elevated above existing lanes, leaving the underlying highway free for regular motorists.
No such respect is being shown here. Instead, the State is conspicuously shifting cost and control onto private interests. That is bad governance, plain and simple.
Selective tolling: unjust, discriminatory, and regionally skewed
Even if one accepted the PPP toll-road rationale (which I do not), the decision to toll only the Rironi–Mau Summit corridor remains grossly unjust and discriminatory. There are other dual carriageways built or being built — yet only this stretch is being singled out for tolling. That is regional punishment, not equitable infrastructure policy.
If the government genuinely sees tolls as a legitimate financing mechanism — fine. Then it must apply the system uniformly, or better yet, scrap tolls entirely and revert to exchequer/fiscal financing. Selective tolling undermines national cohesion and treats some Kenyans as second-class travellers simply because they are heading west.
The deceit and delays: crisis manufactured to justify privatization
One of the most galling aspects of this saga is the timing — and the long history of neglect. Petitioners and critics point out that for over 15 years, the State deliberately delayed upgrading the corridor, even as the road crumbled, accident rates soared, and congestion became the norm. Only now, with enormous pressure to do something, do we get the “urgent” PPP toll-road plan. But that urgency is built on a manufactured crisis — a crisis the government engineered by failing to invest when it should have.
This is not infrastructure planning. This is political and commercial maneuvering. The neglect is real, the suffering genuine — but the solution is being sold not as public duty, but as a profit-making concession for elites.
The financial hypocrisy: with a Sh 3 trillion budget, Kenya can fund this
The financial case against tolling is unassailable: according to public critics, the total cost of the road upgrade is around Sh 170–200 billion — a drop in the bucket given Kenya’s annual national budget of roughly Sh 3 trillion.
If the government cannot mobilise Sh 200 billion to upgrade a critical transport artery already in the public domain, one must seriously question its priorities. Kenya has over the years committed public funds to many less essential — and far less beneficial — projects. Wasting tens of billions on inflated, poor-quality contracts and mismanagement while crying poverty over a strategically vital highway is nothing short of fiscal irresponsibility.
Funding the upgrade through the exchequer — or via a sovereign bond, or through existing road maintenance levies (which motorists already pay) — would be more transparent, justifiable, and free from the moral hazard associated with toll-collecting monopolies. As petitioners argue, “the responsibility for building and expanding national roads rests squarely with the exchequer, not individual motorists.”
Privatization = profit for elites, burden for citizens
Let’s call a spade a spade: the PPP toll plan isn’t about improving mobility or reducing travel times. It is about channeling public infrastructure into private profit streams — for foreign corporations and politically connected entities — while ordinary Kenyans foot the bill, indefinitely.
The 30-year concession contract — leading to decades of toll collections — will enrich the private operator (or operators), as they build, maintain and control a public asset. Meanwhile, motorists — ordinary citizens, businesses, freight operators — will pay more for transport, raising the cost of goods, agricultural produce, and commerce.
What is more, the lack of guaranteed, realistic toll-free alternatives renders the “choice” offered by the government meaningless: those unwilling to pay will be forced onto poorly maintained, congested roads, if those are maintained at all. That inequity and coercion undermine the very notion of “public infrastructure for public good.”
Economic damage: slower trade, more cost, less inclusive growth
Proponents of the toll road argue that a dual carriageway will speed up travel, lower transportation costs, boost trade and commerce, and stimulate economic growth. That sounds fine — but when the cost is passed directly to road users, the benefits may not materialise. Instead, we risk undermining Kenya’s competitiveness.
Higher toll charges increase the cost of moving goods from Nairobi to western Kenya or to neighbouring countries. Freight companies may raise shipping costs to recoup toll fees; small businesses may be forced to absorb higher transport costs, leading to higher prices for consumers. Farmers — the backbone of Kenya’s economy — may find it more expensive to move produce, hurting incomes, supply chains, and agribusiness viability.
In effect, instead of lowering costs, inflationary pressures may rise. The burden of “improved infrastructure” would shift from the state to ordinary citizens — and ultimately reduce demand, hamper trade, and slow down economic inclusion.
It is ironic: what is pitched as “enabling business” may end up making commerce costlier, extending inequality, and undermining the goal of inclusive growth.
Sovereignty, accountability, and national interest — not profit
By outsourcing fundamental public infrastructure to foreign firms (backed by concession contracts), the state effectively sacrifices control over national assets for decades. That compromises national sovereignty and undermines long-term accountability.
When roads — critical arteries of commerce, security, and national integration — are in the hands of for-profit firms, public interest becomes subordinate to private profit. Who ensures decisions are made in favour of citizens? Who is accountable when tolls rise, maintenance declines, or corruption sets in?
The only way to guarantee accountability, transparency, and public interest is for the state to own and operate its roads. Period.
The courts, the people — pushback is real
Perhaps the most encouraging sign is that concerned citizens and associations have taken up the fight. Petitioners in the matter — including the Motorists Association of Kenya — have filed lawsuits seeking to block the toll plan, arguing it violates constitutional rights, amounts to double taxation, and represents unlawful privatisation of public roads.
Their grievances are many: the lack of realistic toll-free alternatives; the fact that the existing road is already public; the failure of public authorities to maintain and upgrade the corridor for over a decade; the suspicious timing of the toll-road announcement; and the unfair burden placed on ordinary motorists.
It is time for the government to listen. The people have spoken — not against development, but against injustice, exploitation, and the privatization of public infrastructure.
What must be done: demand real accountability and public financing
Given the illegitimacy of the toll plan — morally, legally, economically — the only acceptable path forward is for the government to:
- Abandon the toll model for Rironi–Mau Summit. Cancel the PPP/BOT concession. Reject the per-km toll plan.
- Finance the upgrade through the exchequer. Use existing road levies (which motorists already pay), or raise a sovereign loan/bond to cover the estimated Sh 170–200 billion cost. With Kenya’s annual budget of ~Sh 3 trillion, this is eminently affordable.
- Keep the road publicly owned. Ensure the upgraded highway remains a public good — controlled, maintained, and operated by the state.
- Guarantee a toll-free alternative (if any new alignment or bypass is built). But if using the existing A8 corridor, make it free to use.
- Scrap selective tolling policies. If tolls are to be considered at all (though they should not), apply them across all corridors equally — but better, scrap tolls altogether and rely on public funding.
Conclusion: Roads are public, not profit machines
The Rironi–Mau Summit Road is too important to be left to private profiteering. It is not some luxury highway for wealthy commuters. It is a national artery, a critical link between Kenya’s capital and its western regions; a highway for farmers, traders, teachers, students — the full cross-section of Kenyan citizens.
To subject it to a toll under a PPP is to turn a public right into a private profit stream. It is to charge citizens twice — once in taxes and levies, then again at the toll gate — for a “service” that should have come free with public funds. It is fiscal irresponsibility masquerading as development.
There is no moral, legal, or economic justification for this plan. The government must abandon the toll model. The exchequer should step in. The people of Kenya — who already pay enough — deserve no less.
It is time to reclaim our roads. Public roads must stay public.
Epilogue: To every Kenyan reading this
If you believe in fairness, accountability, and public good — demand that your Member of Parliament (MP), your senators, and your county and national leadership stop this toll-road madness. Sign the petitions. Demand transparency. Demand that national infrastructure remain national, not a privatized cash-cow for elites.
If we allow the Rironi–Mau Summit Highway to be turned into a toll franchise, what is to stop future governments from tolling every national road? Today it is the A8; tomorrow it could be the coastal road, the Kisumu highway, the Northern Corridor, or the Eldoret expressway.
We must resist. For our wallets. For our children. For our country.
