Buzeki: Kenya risks pricing itself out as EAC’s main trade route
By Joel Masibo, August 13, 2025Rift Valley business mogul Kiprotich ‘Buzeki’ Bundotich has warned that while the new Rironi–Mau Summit road to Malaba and Uganda promises speed and safety, tolling risks tilting cost benefits against Kenya in the East African Community.
Taking to his X account on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, Bundotich argued that pushing cargo to southern routes via Tanzania, with regional rivals refining their transit chains, Kenya must carefully calibrate its toll strategy, bolster alternatives, and build infrastructure that doesn’t inadvertently drive trade away.
His sentiments come at a time when Kenya is pushing forward with a bold upgrade of the Rironi–Mau Summit highway, stretching roughly 170 km from Kiambu through Nakuru to Mau Summit, as part of the vital Northern Corridor linking Mombasa to the landlocked regions of Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, and South Sudan.
This uplift was approved with a target start of June 2025 and completion by mid-2027, a flagship project under a DBFOMT (Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain-Transfer) public-private partnership model lasting 30 years.
Under this model, users are expected to pay tolls over the concession term. Early estimates suggest tolls of about Ksh6 per km, meaning a saloon car could pay Ksh1,050 for the full stretch, while heavy trucks might pay several times that.
Transport sector warning
Transport and manufacturing sectors warn of rising logistics costs undermining competitiveness. The Kenya Association of Manufacturers and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance have urged the government to safeguard alternative routes to avoid burdening businesses with unchecked tolls.
“Kenya risks PRICING itself out as EAC’s main trade route,” Bundotich said. His concern is that a modern toll highway, while faster and efficient, might elevate the cost of logistics just enough to shift traffic to alternatives.
According to Bundotich, Uganda and Rwanda already have viable alternatives, while the central corridor via Dar es Salaam connects Tanzanian rail and roads to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DRC.
While Tanzania’s port has longer shipping waits, streamlined border points, fewer police/weighbridge stops, and digital tracking systems have improved its competitiveness recently.
Bundotich further said even a “small percentage” increase in logistics cost could push non-time-sensitive goods to shift to cheaper, albeit slower, southern routes. Transporters have previously shifted cargo due to modest cost gaps and extended storage/demurrage rules favouring Dar over Mombasa.