Kenya Advances Dual Carriageway Plans for Northern Corridor Trade
Western Kenya’s busiest international highway is edging closer to a long-awaited transformation. The Government of Kenya, through its Public-Private Partnerships Directorate and the Kenya National Highways Authority, has partnered with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to initiate preparatory pre-feasibility studies for upgrading the Mau Summit–Eldoret–Malaba corridor.
The proposed project centres on the Mau Summit–Eldoret–Malaba stretch of the Northern Corridor, the principal overland trade artery linking the Port of Mombasa to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. For construction professionals and investors watching East Africa’s infrastructure trajectory, this is more than another road scheme. It is a strategic intervention in one of the continent’s most commercially significant logistics chains.
A Strategic Artery Under Pressure
The Northern Corridor carries the lion’s share of Kenya’s regional trade, serving landlocked economies whose growth depends on efficient access to seaports. According to regional transport studies by the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority, the route handles the majority of Uganda’s and Rwanda’s import and export volumes via Mombasa. As traffic has grown steadily over the past decade, so too have bottlenecks, delays and safety risks along critical sections.
The Mau Summit–Eldoret–Malaba segment in particular has become a pressure point. Heavy goods vehicles, long-distance buses and local traffic compete on a predominantly single carriageway alignment, creating chronic congestion and a high incidence of accidents. The corridor also traverses complex terrain and densely populated areas, compounding safety and operational challenges. In short, the existing configuration is no longer fit for purpose in a region that is industrialising and integrating at pace.
Upgrading this section to a dual carriageway is therefore not merely a capacity enhancement. It is an economic safeguard. By reducing travel times and improving reliability, the project would strengthen supply chains, lower logistics costs and reinforce Kenya’s role as a regional gateway.
From Concept to Pre Feasibility
To move the proposal forward, the government has commissioned a pre-feasibility study funded by the AIIB. The work will be undertaken over approximately four months by a joint venture between CPCS of Canada and Avatech Engineering of Kenya. Their mandate is to assess the project’s technical soundness, economic viability, environmental implications and potential financial structure.
This early-stage assessment is crucial. Too many infrastructure schemes falter because they leap prematurely into procurement without robust groundwork. By scrutinising traffic projections, engineering options, cost estimates and risk allocations at the outset, the authorities aim to de-risk the subsequent stages and present a credible investment case to the market.
In parallel, the government has launched procurement for a full feasibility study and transaction advisory support. The selected consultant is expected to be appointed in the second quarter of 2026. This sequencing signals a methodical approach, aligning with international best practice in public-private partnership development.
Intelligent Transport Systems and Climate Resilience
While capacity expansion sits at the heart of the proposal, the scheme’s design brief extends further. The corridor is earmarked for integration of Intelligent Transport Systems to improve traffic management and safety. ITS components may include real-time traffic monitoring, incident detection, variable message signage and integrated control centres.
Globally, such systems have proven effective in reducing congestion and enhancing operational efficiency on high-volume corridors. For a trade route handling substantial cross-border freight, even marginal gains in flow and predictability can translate into significant economic benefits. Moreover, data generated through ITS platforms can support enforcement, maintenance planning and long-term asset management.
Climate resilience is another key consideration. Kenya’s infrastructure has in recent years been exposed to increasingly intense rainfall events and flooding, trends consistent with broader East African climate projections reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Designing drainage systems, embankments and pavement structures capable of withstanding extreme weather will be central to ensuring the corridor’s durability. Investors and lenders are increasingly attuned to climate risk, and embedding resilience at design stage reduces lifecycle costs and future liabilities.
Structuring a Competitive PPP
The government intends to deliver the project through a competitive public-private partnership for the project finance. Following completion of the detailed feasibility work, a Request for Qualifications is planned for the third quarter of 2026, with a Request for Proposals scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. Project agreements are expected to be finalised by mid-2027.
Under the envisaged structure, the selected private partner will assume responsibility for design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance. This design-build-finance-operate-maintain model aligns incentives across the asset lifecycle. If structured effectively, it can encourage whole-life cost optimisation rather than short-term capital savings.
Kenya is no stranger to PPPs, though implementation has at times been uneven. The country’s PPP framework has evolved over the past decade, supported by legislative reforms and institutional strengthening within the PPP Directorate. For international investors, clarity of risk allocation, revenue mechanisms and dispute resolution processes will be decisive factors. The pre-feasibility and feasibility stages therefore carry weight well beyond technical engineering matters.
Regional Integration and Economic Multiplier Effects
The corridor’s upgrade carries implications far beyond Kenya’s borders. Uganda, Rwanda and other neighbouring states rely on efficient transit through Kenya for fuel, construction materials, agricultural exports and manufactured goods. According to World Bank analyses of African trade corridors, transport costs in sub-Saharan Africa remain among the highest globally as a share of product value, often exceeding 30 percent for landlocked countries. Improving road efficiency is one of the most direct levers available to reduce those costs.
For the construction sector, the project represents a substantial pipeline opportunity. Dual carriageway expansion typically entails major earthworks, pavement construction, bridge upgrades, interchanges, drainage systems and roadside facilities. Local contractors, materials suppliers and service providers stand to benefit, while international firms may view the scheme as a gateway into East Africa’s growing infrastructure market.
There are also knock-on effects in logistics, warehousing and industrial development. As reliability improves, firms are more likely to invest in distribution centres and manufacturing facilities along the corridor. Eldoret, already an important agricultural and commercial hub, could see enhanced connectivity strengthen its position within regional value chains.
Safety and Social Considerations
Road safety is another compelling driver. Kenya has grappled with high rates of road traffic fatalities, with data from the National Transport and Safety Authority indicating thousands of deaths annually. Sections of the Northern Corridor have been associated with frequent collisions involving heavy vehicles and passenger transport.
A dual carriageway with controlled access, grade-separated junctions and improved signage can significantly reduce head-on collisions and unsafe overtaking manoeuvres. Integrating pedestrian facilities and community access points will be equally important, given the corridor’s passage through settled areas. Infrastructure that separates long-distance freight from local movements often delivers outsized safety dividends.
Social and environmental assessments conducted during feasibility will need to address land acquisition, resettlement and ecological impacts. Transparent stakeholder engagement will be critical to maintaining public support and avoiding delays.
Financing Signals from AIIB
The involvement of the AIIB at the preparatory stage sends a signal to global capital markets. Established in 2016, the bank has expanded its footprint across Asia and beyond, financing transport, energy and urban infrastructure. Its participation in Kenya’s pre-feasibility process underscores confidence in the corridor’s regional importance.
Multilateral engagement can also enhance project bankability by strengthening governance standards and environmental safeguards. For a PPP of this scale, blending public oversight with private execution capacity often provides the credibility required to attract long-term institutional investors.
Setting the Stage for Delivery
Much work lies ahead before construction begins. Traffic modelling must be refined, alignment options assessed, cost estimates stress-tested and revenue mechanisms defined. Yet by initiating a structured pre-feasibility process and mapping out a clear procurement timetable, Kenya has set a deliberate course.
If delivered effectively, the Mau Summit–Eldoret–Malaba upgrade could stand as a benchmark for corridor modernisation in East Africa. It would demonstrate how strategic road investment, anchored in sound preparation and competitive procurement, can unlock regional trade and enhance resilience in the face of climate and economic pressures.
For the global construction and infrastructure community, the message is clear. Africa’s trade corridors are evolving, and with them come opportunities that extend from engineering and digital systems to finance and long-term asset management. The Northern Corridor’s next chapter is being written now, and its impact will be felt far beyond western Kenya.
