The long-overdue construction of the Rironi-Mau Summit Road will begin in August, President William Ruto announced.
He said design work and other technicalities for the project are almost complete before he breaks ground on it in two months time.
“We have agreed with the contractors to speed up the project and complete it by 2027. If not, they should have done a substantial portion of it by that time,” he said.
He made the remarks when he hosted a delegation of leaders from Nakuru County at State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday.
Present were Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika, Trade and Investments Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui and other leaders.
Ruto explained that the Rironi-Mau Summit Road would consist of four lanes from Rironi to Naivasha town as well as the Maai Mahiu-Naivasha road.
The road will then expand to six lanes from Naivasha town to Nakuru City in order to adequately handle the high volume of traffic on the route.
On the stalled Itare Dam project in Kuresoi North Constituency, Ruto said the government has reached an agreement with the Italian Government to resume construction work by the end of the year.
“When complete, this dam will solve the persistent water shortages being faced by the people of Nakuru City,” he said.
On roads, Ruto pointed out that the government has allocated Sh2.5 billion to complete stalled projects in the county.
Further, he announced that Sh2.5 billion had been allocated to connect 21,000 households to power in the county under the Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Programme.
“We have agreed with contractors that they must complete them by this December so that we move to the next phase,” he said.
He also said the government is in the process of resolving a contractual dispute that has stalled the construction of Lanet Airport in Nakuru.
With the help of the military, Ruto said the government will complete Afraha Stadium and build a new one at Olenguruone.
He also said plans to build the Naivasha Special Economic Zone are on course.
“We have bought 5,000 acres in Naivasha to develop infrastructure in readiness for this project,” he said
On education, Ruto said counties can start giving bursaries following the signing of a cooperation agreement between county governments and the Office of the Controller of Budget.
Saying Social Health Authority has paid for health services to 4.5 million Kenyans in the past eight months at a cost of Sh41 billion, the President urged Nakuru leaders to encourage more residents to register with SHA.
Ruto pointed out that registration in the county stands at 35 per cent of the population.
At the same time, he urged leaders to sensitise the young about the job opportunities available abroad.
“Every month, over 10,000 Kenyans are leaving to work abroad. In the past two years, 400,000 young Kenyans have found jobs abroad. Prepare them to work anywhere in the world,” he said.
He called on police officials in Nakuru to firmly take charge of the security situation in the county and root out criminal gangs terrorising the residents.
“Security of Kenyans and their property is their constitutional right. Whether criminals are in civilians or uniform, they must be dealt with decisively,” he said.
Others leaders who attended the meeting were Senator Tabitha Karanja, current and former MPs and MCAs.
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