Kenya has gone an extra mile to develop one of the busiest transport corridors in East Africa after receiving a Ksh408 million ($3.15 million) grant to facilitate preparatory work and a feasibility study on upgrading the Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba Road over a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. The financing, which will be provided by the Multilateral Cooperation Center of Development Finance (MCDF) and executed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), will ensure the project is structured in such a way that it attracts the interest of private investors and advances the wider transport infrastructure agenda in Kenya.

The Mau Summit-Malaba corridor, which links the Port of Mombasa, the major seaport of Kenya, to the Malaba border with Uganda and forms part of the Northern Corridor, is the busiest trade and logistics route in East and Central Africa. It is estimated that the route supports trade of about 30 million tonnes of cargo every year, with trade to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and northern Tanzania.

Scope of Mau Summit-Malaba Road Expansion and PPP Project Preparation

The preparatory works have already started with the implementation of a pre-feasibility study, which had been funded by AIIB and undertaken by a joint venture between CPCS (Canada) and Avatech Engineering (Kenya). The analysis will take about four months and determine the technical and economic feasibility of the road, its environmental and social consequences, and financial structuring opportunities to direct further PPP processes.

The pre-feasibility work, according to the Public-Private Partnerships Directorate at the National Treasury, will guide the development of detailed engineering designs, financial modelling, and structuring the transaction. After all these preparations, the government intends to award contracts to carry out extensive feasibility study services and transaction advisory services during the second quarter of 2026.

By the third quarter of 2026, the project will advance to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) as anticipated, and a Request for Proposals (RFP) will occur at the beginning of 2027. The government expects to sign legal contracts and achieve commercial close with a private sector partner by mid-2027, at which point the concessionaire would assume the task of designing, financing, constructing, operating, and maintaining the upgraded road.

The Mau Summit-Malaba upgrade will, once completed, convert the current two-lane roadway into a two-carriageway road built to international standards. The gains will include reduced travel time, improved safety, and lower transport costs for both freight and passenger vehicles.

Climate resilience, pavement structure and requirements, tolling and revenue models, and environmental and social protection will be investigated in the feasibility work to provide a final design that is environmentally friendly and appealing to investors, in accordance with international financial institution standards.

According to transport analysts, the upgrade will make Kenya’s transport network more efficient and competitive, facilitating exports via Mombasa and improving access to regional markets. In the case of Kenya, the performance of the corridor will also be enhanced, triggering industrial and logistical investment in the western economic corridor.

The Mau Summit-Malaba route is at the heart of regional economic integration, serving as a key pathway for goods transportation between the Indian Ocean coast and inland markets. The improvement of the road is likely to ensure easier movement of cargo, less congestion, and a lower rate of accidents on a road that has historically faced safety and capacity challenges.

Having used the AIIB grant to develop a transparent, bankable PPP structure, the Kenyan government will mobilize private sector capital and share risk while ensuring the long-term operational sustainability of the upgraded corridor. It is noted that with a structured PPP model, this project may set a precedent for future major infrastructure delivery in Kenya and the wider region.

Project Factsheet

• Country: Kenya
• Industries: Transport/Road Infrastructure
• Project Owner: Government of Kenya (PPP Directorate/KeNHA)
• Grant Value: $3.15 million (approximately Ksh408 million)
• Funding Sources: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); MCDF grant financing
• Length of the Road: 243 km (Mau Summit-Malaba)
• Current Status: Pre-feasibility and PPP structuring in progress

Key Milestones:

• Pre-feasibility study (Q1-Q2 2026)
• Complete feasibility and advisory procurement (Q2 2026)
• RFQ (Q3 2026)
• RFP (Q1 2027)
• Commercial close (Mid-2027)

When well-structured and funded, the Mau Summit-Malaba upgrade will be key to improving transport connectivity and the economic competitiveness of the East Africa region.