Macron’s Kenya Visit Overshadowed by Gachagua’s Ksh7 Billion Road Project Claims

French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Nairobi coincided with allegations by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over a cancelled road project and the signing of a €700 million investment agreement for the Port of Mombasa.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Gachagua, who now leads the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), accused Macron of being indirectly connected to a multi-billion-shilling payout linked to the cancelled Rironi–Mau Summit Road project. He claimed Kenyan taxpayers faced losses of about Ksh7 billion after the government terminated the French-backed public-private partnership agreement.

The Rironi–Mau Summit highway, part of the Nairobi–Nakuru corridor, was presented as a major infrastructure project intended to reduce congestion and improve road safety. In 2020, a consortium of French companies was selected to finance and operate the highway under a PPP arrangement valued at about Ksh159 billion. 

The project was later suspended and cancelled following disagreements over financing and revised costs. The government has since pursued alternative arrangements, including the involvement of Chinese contractors on other sections of the corridor.

Gachagua said Macron’s visit was linked to unresolved financial discussions surrounding the cancelled project. He also referred to disruptions during Macron’s address at Taifa Hall at the University of Nairobi, where some members of the audience shouted protests. 

“Mr Macron, you are an accomplice in the Ksh7 billion payout from the people of Kenya,” Gachagua said, describing the matter as part of broader concerns over foreign-backed infrastructure agreements.

The claims emerged as demonstrations continued in Nairobi, where protesters attempted to reach the Kenyatta International Conference Centre while chanting anti-French slogans and criticising foreign involvement in Kenya’s economy. At the same time, Macron’s visit produced a significant investment announcement. 

French shipping and logistics company CMA CGM confirmed plans to invest €700 million, equivalent to about Ksh106 billion, in the expansion and modernisation of terminals at the Port of Mombasa. The agreement, signed in the presence of President William Ruto and Macron, aims to improve cargo-handling capacity, modernise port facilities and strengthen Kenya’s position as a regional trade hub.

Mombasa, the largest port in East Africa, serves several landlocked countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The expansion is expected to improve supply chain efficiency and increase Kenya’s links to international shipping markets. 

The investment also supports the government’s wider plans to modernise port infrastructure through infrastructure bonds and PPP arrangements at both Mombasa and Lamu Port.