Speaking about the controversial project, Ruto said the government opted to settle the agreement rather than continue with a legal battle that threatened to cost taxpayers even more money.
The contract had been awarded to a French consortium in 2020 during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration. However, according to Ruto, six years passed without any section of the highway being constructed.
The President revealed that the contractor had already taken Kenya to court over the agreement, creating uncertainty around the future of the infrastructure project.
Ruto said he personally intervened by travelling to France to meet President Emmanuel Macron, where he raised concerns about the stalled project and requested assistance in resolving the dispute.
He explained that his intention was to have the road constructed rather than spend additional public resources fighting the contractor in court.
Following discussions involving Macron and the French company, negotiations were initiated, eventually leading to the termination of the agreement.
Kenya subsequently agreed to pay the consortium $50 million, equivalent to approximately Ksh6.5 billion.
However, the settlement has faced scrutiny from the Auditor-General, whose May 2026 report questioned the withdrawal of Ksh7.31 billion from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund to compensate the consortium.
The audit raised concerns about the legality of the expenditure and whether taxpayers received value for money.
The difference between the Ksh6.5 billion figure disclosed by Ruto and the Ksh7.31 billion recorded in the audit report remains unexplained.
Ruto said the dispute was resolved in November 2025, paving the way for construction to proceed under new arrangements involving Chinese contractors.
The project was subsequently assigned to China Road and Bridge Corporation and Shandong Hi-Speed Road and Bridge International Engineering.
The two arrangements, which also involve the National Social Security Fund in one section, have a combined estimated value of Ksh192.6 billion.
The President's explanation comes amid continued questions over the settlement and the handling of public funds used to end the original contract.
https://peopledaily.digital/news/ruto-reveals-why-kenya-paid-french-firm-ksh6-5-billion-over-flopped-rironi-mau-summit-contract
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