Chinese Firm Kicks Off Illasit-Taveta Road Project

Construction of the long-delayed Illasit Taveta Road, linking Kajiado and Taita Taveta, has begun eight months after the project was cancelled amid concerns over its funding model. 

The 66.5km Illasit-Njukini-Taveta Road project was scheduled to begin five years ago under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, but design changes and reclassification stalled it.

A PPP funding model is where investors build, maintain, and operate a road for 15-20 years to recoup their investments before handing over the facility to the government.

The Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Kerra) initially managed the Class D road project, but after its upgrade to Class B, it moved to the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA). 

After the reclassification, the Illasit-Njukini-Taveta Road was redesigned to match the upgraded class, raising eyebrows among PPP committee members, who questioned its value for money.

In June 2026, the committee scrapped the Sh7.9 billion deal — which had been awarded to undisclosed investors — with KeNHA left to return to the drawing board.

“The contracting authority therefore initiated termination of the project by following concerns on value for money. On June 6, 2024 The PPP Committee approved the project’s termination in accordance with Section 8(1) (f) of the Act, and compliance with the guidance given by the PPP Committee,” the PPP Directorate said in disclosures.

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KeNHA later replanned the Illasit Taveta Road construction project under an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) model, in which a contractor designs, procures materials, and constructs the project, delivering it fully completed to the client.

On February 1, 2025, the roads agency handed over the Illasit-Njukini-Taveta road site to the Chinese firm Sinohydro Corporation Ltd for maintenance ahead of construction.

The road project, which will be upgraded to bitumen standards, includes a 7m carriageway with 1.5m shoulders, new bridges, box culverts, street lighting in towns and improved junctions.  

The upgraded Illasit–Taveta Road is expected to enhance economic activities in the two counties, particularly in the agriculture and tourism sectors, according to KeNHA.

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