President William Ruto has vowed that 2025 will be the last year Kenyans experience traffic jams on the Nairobi–Nakuru highway.

Speaking during the Kimalel Goat Auction in Baringo on Monday, December 22, 2025, the head of state encouraged Kenyans to take more photos of the traffic jams on the road, saying they will serve as a reminder of how troublesome the congestion used to be.

He assured that the issue will be resolved once and for all, making traffic jams a thing of the past on Rironi Mau Summit Road.

“Niliona juzi msongamano mkubwa wa magari kwa hio barabara ya kutoka Nairobi; hio msongamano mueke mapicha, kwa sababu that is the last time tutakuwa na msongamano wa magari kwa barabara hio.”

President Ruto stated that he has launched the dualling of the highway, which will expand lanes to eight from Rironi to Mahiu, before downscaling to six lanes from Naivasha to Nakuru.

He further explained that funds are already in place to conduct a feasibility study for additional connectivity projects. One proposed lane will branch from the Nakuru–Eldoret highway near the Total area to Kericho and later to Kisumu, while another lane will run from Mau Summit, branching to Eldoret, proceeding to the Malaba border, and eventually linking Malaba and Kisumu.

According to Ruto, the projects aim to open up the entire western region and improve transport flow significantly.

Traffic jam

This comes days after the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) warned motorists of heavy traffic congestion on the Nairobi–Nakuru highway.

In a statement posted on Saturday, December 20, 2025, the authority said the congestion is due to a significant increase in traffic volumes along various sections of the road. KeNHA noted that lane indiscipline and overlapping vehicles were major contributors to the slow movement.

“The @KeNHAKenya wishes to notify motorists travelling between Nairobi and Nakuru that there has been a significant increase in traffic volumes, leading to congestion at various sections of the road. The congestion is largely due to lane indiscipline and overlapping.”

The warning comes after motorists endured long delays on Friday, December 19, when heavy traffic forced many to spend the night on the highway. Reports indicated that gridlock stretched several kilometres, particularly along the Mai Mahiu stretch in Naivasha and the Salgaa–Mau Summit section.