This archive report was first published on 22 December 2019.
On December 22, 2019, Transport Secretary James Macharia announced plans to upgrade close to 30 kilometers of the Maai-Mahiu road to accommodate heavy trucks ferrying cargo to Naivasha.
The upgrade is aimed at boosting the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo service, which was launched in 2019. The road upgrade will prevent damaging effects from the expected increase in trucking from next month.
According to Macharia, the road upgrade is part of the plan to transport goods by road to the MGR station for onward transmission to neighboring countries.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) estimates the works will cost more than Sh1 billion, increasing the cost of effecting the SGR after construction stalled in Suswa due to funding gaps.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had flagged off freight services on the new railway line, which will not incorporate road transport in at least 60 kilometers to get to Naivasha in the SGR Phase Two plan.
A 2.6-kilometer link road has been built to link the dry port and to the Suswa — Maai Mahiu-Narok road, which is not meant to be used by cargo trucks.
KeNHA Director-General Peter Mundinia said the works to upgrade the road had begun and would be extended to under a public-private partnership to Naivasha.
