Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has identified the upgrade of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and the Rironi–Mau Summit road as key infrastructure projects that should define President William Ruto’s legacy, calling for their timely completion within his remaining years in office.
Speaking during a high-level Public Private Partnership (PPP) symposium in Nairobi, Mbadi described the two projects as priority “pipeline initiatives” that must be delivered before the end of Ruto’s second term. He drew comparisons with previous administrations, noting that the late President Mwai Kibaki is remembered for the Thika Superhighway and the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor, while former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s era is marked by the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and Nairobi Expressway.
“In my view, President Ruto should be remembered for JKIA and for progressing the SGR from Naivasha all the way to Malaba,” Mbadi stated. “These seven years remaining in Ruto’s presidency should help us realise that, starting with the remaining two years of the first term to ensure the Rironi–Mau Summit Road is actualised and, at the bare minimum, work on our airport begins.”
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, also present at the symposium, said the government is under strict instructions to ensure both projects are delivered on schedule, terming them critical for economic growth and national development.
The JKIA upgrade has faced delays after President Ruto cancelled a planned PPP with India’s Adani Group in November 2024, following protests. The proposed deal would have added a second runway and modernised the passenger terminal in exchange for a 30-year lease.
Chirchir disclosed that Kenya has now formally invited development lenders—including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), China Exim Bank, KfW, the European Investment Bank, and the African Development Bank (AfDB)—to fund the project. “Instead of bringing concessions to build the airport, we build the airport so that we can have concessions later,” he said.
Construction of the Rironi–Mau Summit highway is expected to start later this month, while work on the Naivasha–Malaba segment of the SGR is scheduled to commence in December.
