Kenyan company awarded Ksh2.47B contract to tarmac Rumuruti–Mutara road
By Francis Muli, May 8, 2026The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has awarded Wak Construction Limited a Ksh2.47 billion contract for the tarmacking of the Rumuruti–Mutara Road in Laikipia County.
This ends decades of uncertainty over a project that residents say has been promised since the era of former President Daniel arap Moi.
According to KeNHA Director General Luka Kimeli, the contractor has already begun mobilisation activities following the award of the tender at the end of April, with full construction expected to commence within the next three months.
“The Rumuruti–Mutara Road project is therefore a timely and transformative investment for the people of Laikipia County and the wider region. Following the award of the contract by KeNHA at the end of April, the contractor has already commenced mobilisation activities, including site preparations, logistical arrangements and deployment planning. We expect actual construction works to begin within the next three months,” said Kimeli.
The road project is expected to improve transport connectivity and stimulate economic activity in a region that has for years struggled with poor infrastructure and limited investment.
For residents of Mutara, a trading centre located about 25 kilometres from Rumuruti town, the project represents more than just a road upgrade. Many say it is the first tangible sign that successive political promises may finally be fulfilled.
Francis Rwengo Mathenge, a resident of Mutara Checkpoint in Salama Ward who has lived in the area for over two decades, described the development as long overdue.
“I have lived here for 21 years. Since I arrived, there was no house here, no proper road, but we kept being told this road would come, from the time of Moi, even during campaign seasons. We started asking ourselves, are we even part of Kenya?” he said.
Residents say the poor condition of the road has for years disrupted transport, damaged vehicles and slowed economic growth in the area.
“Even now, when someone buys a vehicle, it doesn’t last because once you leave here and reach Nyahururu side, it goes straight to the garage. A vehicle leaving here in the morning comes back in the evening. We have suffered a lot,” Mathenge added.
He noted that the poor infrastructure has also negatively affected land values and discouraged investors from venturing into the area.
“Land here has no value because when investors come from Nairobi, they see the road and decide not to buy. When the road comes, everything will change. Land that was selling at Ksh100,000 per acre will rise to even millions,” he said.
The project forms part of a wider government development agenda in Laikipia County under President William Ruto’s administration. The government has announced plans for 217 kilometres of roads in the region alongside Ksh15 billion affordable housing projects, modern markets and other public infrastructure initiatives aimed at boosting economic activity and improving livelihoods.