Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro has cautioned the government against introducing toll charges on the Nairobi-Nakuru Mau Summit Road, warning that the move will raise the cost of doing business and hurt Kenya’s competitiveness in the region.

Speaking on the proposed project, Nyoro noted that while upgrading the 170-kilometre stretch is necessary, tolling it would unfairly burden motorists who already pay fuel levies for road maintenance. He criticised the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model being applied, arguing it is misleading.

“This is not a private public partnership. It is a public public public partnership because the main investor is NSSF, which is workers’ money. We cannot keep forcing NSSF to fund everything at the expense of workers’ welfare,” Nyoro said.

The legislator urged the government to explore creative revenue-raising measures, including partial privatisation of state assets. He proposed selling 10 percent of the government’s 35 per cent stake in Safaricom, which he said could raise over Sh100 billion enough to expand the road without tolling.

Nyoro argued that relying on tolls would increase transport costs for goods destined for Uganda and other regional markets, potentially pushing trade to rival ports like Dar es Salaam.

“Let us build roads without breaking Kenyans’ backs. We have low hanging fruits like privatisation that can fund infrastructure without overburdening citizens,” he said.

The Nairobi Nakuru Mau Summit project is estimated to cost Sh175 billion, translating to about Sh1 billion per kilometre. Nyoro warned against what he called reckless experiments in infrastructure financing, insisting on sustainable locally funded solutions.