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President Uhuru Kenyatta is racing against time to complete various multi-billion shilling projects across the country.

Uhuru is keen to secure his legacy ahead of the transition that will come after next month’s General Election, which is only 19 days away.

Sources say he has instructed senior government and State officers, including Cabinet Secretaries, to work round the clock in the remaining days to ensure key legacy projects are completed before his successor assumes office.

Uhuru hopes he will be in a position to commission the over 100 projects — particularly roads and hospitals — before his term ends. 

Under the Constitution, a new president is set to be sworn-in 14 days after the declaration of presidential election results.

Besides infrastructure and hospitals, there are numerous other uncompleted projects such as dams, sanitation and irrigation, stadia, markets, and new classrooms for junior secondary school.

The President has also been keen to issue title deeds. In recent weeks, he has dispatched various Cabinet Secretaries issue the title deeds and inspect projects in readiness for commissioning.

Close to heart

Data obtained from the President’s Delivery Unit (PDU), which was created to track the progress of government development programmes, show that though most of the projects initiated by the Jubilee administration have been completed, some are still between 85 and 98 per cent complete. It is not clear whether all will be completed by September.

To speed up progress and monitoring, Cabinet and Principal Secretaries have been instructed to personally inspect the projects under their line ministries and push for their completion.

“These projects are close to his heart and he would not wish to leave them incomplete,” Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said yesterday. 

Matiang’i chairs the National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee, part of whose mandate is to ensure government projects are successfully implemented.

Transport CS James Macharia said the legacy projects will be completed before he exits office.

“All of us are at the moment in the field to ensure that the projects are not hanging,” he said.

The President has planned a whirlwind tour of various regions to officially launch the projects, with sources indicating that the visits will give him an opportunity to campaign for Azimio-One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga. 

President Uhuru has chosen Raila as his preferred successor. Raila is one of four candidates seeking the presidency and is in a neck-and-neck race with Deputy President William Ruto of UDA. 

The other contenders are George Wajackoyah of Roots Party and David Mwaure of Agano Party.

So far, various ministries have dispatched advance teams to inspect the projects as the presidential team works on his itinerary. Two weeks ago, for instance, one team visited the Sh17 billion dual carriageway that transverses Kabete and Kiambaa constituencies from Gitaru through Wangige and Ndenderu and terminates at Rwaka. The new road is covers 15.3 kilometres. The team also inspected the Sh24 billion Kareminu Dam in Gatundu North.

Last week, Uhuru commissioned some hospitals in the city put up by Nairobi Metropolitan Service, which is under his office. He also launched the issuance of one million title deeds. 

“As an answer to the land question, the administration has realised accelerated reforms in the land sector and scaled up the issuance of title deeds by issuing six million title deeds, compared to 6.5 million deeds issued by the colonial government and all the past administrations combined,” Joseph Kinyua, head of the Public Service said in a July 4 circular to CSs.

The circular also outlined a schedule of the counties allocated to each Cabinet Secretary together with a summary of the titles to be issued. Kinyua also directed that all title deeds be issued by today.

This week, members of PDU are in Mombasa supervising the completion of the new Makupa bridge, whose construction has cost Sh4.5 billion. The 457-metre bridge is intended to accommodate the old railway line as well as the Standard Gauge Railway.

They will also inspect the progress of the Sh85 billion Chamgamwe Interchange among other infrastructure projects, such as the Sh40 billion Kipevu Oil Terminal, which is expected to aid the Port of Mombasa handle bigger volumes of fuel products, including cooking gas.

With transport being one of his main legacy projects, Uhuru has since 2013 spent nearly Sh1.5 trillion on 11,000 kilometres of roads. He has in the recent past been focusing on completion of the expansion of James Gichuru-Waiyaki Way-Rironi Road (26km) at a cost of Sh18.7 billion. This is in addition to the dualing of the Eastern bypass in Nairobi and expansion of Kenol-Marua road at a cost of Sh16 billion.

Other projects include the ongoing Sh30 billion and 540km Mau Mau Road which connects Kiambu, Murang’a, Nyeri and Nyandarua counties; the 45km Nairutia–Naro Moru Road; the 54km Nyaru-Iten Road in Elgeyo Marakwet and the 70km Ngong-Suswa Road in Kajiado.

The President’s eyes are also on the Garsen-Witu-Lamu road, where main works are completed but the 8km Mpeketoni loop road is outstanding due to insecurity.

Recently, State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena told the press that Uhuru was determined to ensure that all ongoing projects are completed as scheduled.

Uhuru, according to some sources, believes that Raila and his running mate, Martha Karua, are best placed to continue with the projects that will not be completed by the time his term expires.

“I am respectfully asking you to allow me (through your vote) that whoever it is that I am going to hand over to, be none other than Raila Amollo Odinga because he will ensure that our work will continue,” Uhuru said last week.

Sports facilities

In the water sector, among the projects which Uhuru is keen to commission before leaving office is the Karemenu dam in Gatundu North, whose cost is estimated to be Sh24 billion, and which is expected to supply water to Ruiru, Juja and Nairobi. He is also keen to commission the Sh80 billion Thwake Multi-purpose Water Development Programme, which comprises a multi-purpose dam for water supply, hydropower generation and irrigation.

Other projects Uhuru is focusing on is the Sh673 million Kendu Bay Water Supply Project, which commenced in 2020 and is set to provide water to at least 65,000 residents.

Also in the final stages awaiting official commissioning are sports facilities, among them the Sh600 million Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu with a sitting capacity of 15,000. Others are Ruring’u Stadium, whose construction is ongoing in Nyeri, Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu, Kipchoge Keino Stadium and Wote stadiums.

In the health sector, the Jubilee administration wants to finish the construction of the East African Kidney Institute and the National Police Service Referral Hospital – Mbagathi, which are in their final stages.

Part of Uhuru’s Big Four agenda was to make health services accessible. In Nairobi alone, there 24 hospitals under construction.