Moses Kuria has called out Kenyans for opposing the government's infrastructure improvement programme using the Public Private Partnership model yet they are complaining of traffic jams.
The president's senior advisor in the council of economic advisors said Kenyans must support the dualling of the Nairobi-Nakuru highway through a PPP model.
The former Trade Cabinet Secretary said the expansion of the road is urgent given the massive gridlock that has been witnessed on the road since Thursday night.
"The mess in the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway is further proof that we need new approaches to Infrastructure Development. The Rironi-Mau Summit Dualling must be carried out on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis. Sadly the same people stuck in the gridlock today will also oppose the dealing using a Private Partner,'' Kuria wrote on his X account.
Thousands of commuters have been stranded on the busy highway for long hours due to the high volume of vehicles that are being witnessed as Kenyans head upcountry for the festive season.
On Friday, the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said the service had deployed additional police officers to hold on the ground management of traffic to ease the congestion and open up the road.
Kanja said he had ordered the deployment of reinforcement teams including General Duty Police Officers from all police stations along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway.
He also dispatched a police chopper from the National Police Service Airwing to assist the Traffic Police Unit in clearing and ensuring the free flow of traffic.
“The National Police Service is further appealing to all motorists to adhere to traffic and regulations rules by observing speed limits, driving roadworthy motor vehicles and avoiding overlapping on the roads,” he said.
The teams will work in shifts until the chaos is addressed amid fears they may persist.
Other teams were sent to the Mai Mahiu route where motorists were stuck on the road for hours, police said.
This followed traffic chaos experienced on the routes as motorists and other passengers rushed upcountry for Christmas festivities.
The police on the ground said there were tens of vehicles involved in traffic chaos.
The government is reportedly working on a new funding plan to reduce costs for the Nairobi-Mau Summit Road, expediting its long-awaited groundbreaking.
Speaking in April during the launch of the Jumbo Africa Auto Auction at the NSEZ, the President expressed his wish for the project to begin by December.
“I want it to start before the end of this year because it will boost activities at the Naivasha Special Economic Zone. We will do the dualling of the road to Eldoret and continuously to Malaba,” he said.
In January, then Transport Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, stated that the dualling of the 233-km highway would be done under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to reduce government spending on road construction.
Work on the Sh175 billion highway from Rironi in Kiambu County to Mau Summit in Nakuru County was to begin in October 2021 following the signing of a deal between Kenya and a consortium of three French companies.
The French consortium indicated they were ready to break ground after the project received the backing of the African Development Bank and the World Bank.
The three companies had earlier won the tender to expand the main artery from Nairobi to western Kenya into a four-lane dual carriageway through a PPP model.
Known as the Rift Valley Highway Limited, the consortium was expected to recoup its investments in 30 years by charging toll fees on the road.
However, this did not happen due to unspecified challenges.
When President Ruto assumed leadership in September 2022, he put the project on hold, saying it was expensive – with the State initiating a review of the venture
