Nairobi, July 12 -- A standoff over a Sh299 billion service fee over 13 years prompted the Ruto administration to cancel a deal with a consortium of French contractors for the construction of the Rironi-Mau summit toll road.

Fresh Treasury disclosures have revealed the secret fee - Sh23 billion annually - that would have been financed through debt as French firms continued to collect toll charges from motorists using the critical 175 km road on a public-private partnership (PPP) contract.

Treasury officials reckon that the Sh299 billion pay, which was structured during the era of President Uhuru Kenyatta, was untenable given the tight public finance, triggering the cancellation of the French deal in favour of Chinese contractors.

The F...