NSSF to invest Ksh30B in Rironi–Mau Summit toll road, targets 17% annual returns
By Aloys Michael, February 9, 2026The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has announced a new investment strategy that will channel workers’ pension contributions into major infrastructure and real estate developments, aimed at boosting returns and enabling quicker benefit payouts to members.
The move aligns with the fund’s target of delivering a 17 per cent annual return as it works towards growing its asset base to Ksh1 trillion.
Under its investment strategy, NSSF is weighing a commitment of up to Ksh30 billion to the proposed Rironi–Mau Summit road. Mike Macharia, a trustee representing the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), said the project is expected to deliver stable returns while helping to reduce congestion on the heavily used Nakuru Highway.
He explained that the road would initially operate as a toll facility to enable the fund to recoup its investment, adding that motorists who prefer not to pay would still have access to an alternative non-tolled route.
“We are looking at putting about Ksh 30 billion into the Rironi- Mau Summit project. It is an investment that will give us returns that we will be proud of. It has a social impact; people will no longer be sleeping on the Nakuru Highway. It will also open up trade,” Macharia stated.
“It will be a toll road, but there will be an alternative road for those who do not want to use the toll. The toll is for some time until the return is realised,” he added, revealing that the Nairobi Expressway was constructed using Chinese pension funds and insisted that it was time for Kenya to depend on itself and not China.
In an interview on a local TV station on Sunday, February 8, 2026, NSSF Chief Executive Officer David Koross said the fund had already begun delivering the promises it made to Kenyans, which included growing the fund’s value and improving efficiency in benefits processing.
“What we have done at NSSF is we are looking at the agility in decision-making. We are looking at new investment opportunities that have come up. These investment opportunities yield a better yield,” Koross stated.
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Rironi-Mau summit project
The Rironi–Mau Summit Road forms a 175-kilometre stretch of the A8 highway and is being expanded from a single carriageway into a modern dual carriageway.
The upgrade aims to ease traffic congestion and enhance road safety along the vital corridor linking Nairobi to Western Kenya.
The project was launched by President William Ruto in November 2025 and is scheduled for completion by June 1, 2027, at an estimated cost of Ksh200 billionunder a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework.
Beyond road infrastructure, NSSF is also eyeing high-profile real estate developments, including plans to construct what would be the tallest building in Nairobi’s central business district.
Trustee representing the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU), Rose Omamo, said the proposed skyscraper would be built on NSSF land along Kenyatta Avenue, describing it as a strategic move to grow the fund and enhance long-term returns for contributors.
“As a Fund, we feel that it is time to contribute to national economic stability, whereby we can have big buildings that can help this fund to grow. When the fund grows, it means the pensioners, the contributors, will have a better payout when they retire,” she noted.