The Nairobi- Nakuru-Mau Summit road is part of the Northern Corridor and among the most important roads in the region, transporting most of the westbound cargo from the Port of Mombasa and the Capital Nairobi/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18 – Ten internationally renowned companies have expressed interest to build an expanded Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit road.
The 10 responded to the request for qualification issued by Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) on 9th November 2016.
The Nairobi- Nakuru-Mau Summit road is part of the Northern Corridor and among the most important roads in the region, transporting most of the westbound cargo from the Port of Mombasa and the Capital Nairobi.
“The project will significantly reduce the travel time between Nairobi and Mau Summit with the perennial traffic jam experienced in Nakuru town and around Gilgil being a thing of the past. The section of the road through Nakuru town will be elevated thus ensuring free flow of through traffic’ stated the KeNHA Director General Peter Mundinia.
In the request for qualification, KeNHA invited “competent local and international firms to express interest in undertaking the project.”
It will encompass expanding the 175km road from Rironi to Mau Summit into a four-lane dual carriageway highway, re-carpeting of Rironi-Mai Mahiu -Naivasha Road (Escarpment Road) and Operation and Maintenance of the recently constructed Nairobi Southern Bypass.
It will also include the Gitaru- Rironi section, whose reconstruction has just commenced under James Gichuru-Rironi Road Project.
The project will be undertaken on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis, whereby the private sector will raise finance for the road project, design, construct, maintain and operate the road on pre-agreed standards and specifications.
The concession for the road is planned for a period of 30 years.
‘It is quite gratifying to note the strong interest we have witnessed right on the onset of this project, we are sure the evaluation will yield strong candidates to tender for the project’ stated George Kiiru, the Project Pre-Qualification Committee Chairman.
It is expected that through this arrangement which includes operation and maintenance component the road will remain in ultra-modern condition for the entire concession period.
The pre-qualification bids received will be evaluated with the shortlisted firms thereafter requested to submit technical and financial proposals to undertake the project.
It is after the RFP stage, that the eventual winning bid will undertake the construction of the project.
Efficient transportation on the road is anticipated to drastically reduce the cost of transport which will then give rise to huge trade opportunities along the entire corridor.
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