MP Kaguchia challenges Ruto’s claim that Nithi Bridge contractor is on site
By David Nthua, June 30, 2026Mukurwe-ini Member of Parliament John Kaguchia has once again faulted President William Ruto over a promise to redesign the deadly Nithi Bridge.
Kaguchia spoke to a local TV station on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, where he regretted that despite repeated assurances from the Head of State, residents were still waiting to see the project begin.
According to the legislator, the latest official communication from the government several months ago indicated that a contractor had already been identified and would immediately move to the site.
“The last update we had on the Nithi Bridge was the President’s commitment, more than six months ago, that the contractor would report to the site that week.
He said the contractor had been secured, but to date, we are still waiting for the contractor to arrive on site,” Kaguchia said.
His remarks come just two days after President Ruto toured Meru County, where the Nithi Bridge project once again featured prominently in speeches by both the President and Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma.
Speaking during the 60th anniversary celebrations of Burieruri High School on Sunday, June 28, 2026, Governor Mutuma thanked President Ruto for prioritising the reconstruction of the notorious black spot.
“You are the first President to show sympathy to those who use the Nithi Bridge. You came and said the deaths at Nithi Bridge should stop,” Mutuma said.
The governor further stated that the President had committed Ksh7B towards the project.
“Your Excellency, you have put Ksh7 billion into the Nithi Bridge project, which is ongoing, and we thank you. This is something that no other president has done,” he added.
President Ruto echoed the governor’s remarks, stating that funding had been allocated and that implementation was underway.
“We have allocated Ksh7 billion to construct the Nithi Bridge to prevent accidents. The contractor is already on site, and we have done compensation for the acquired land,” Ruto said.
Questions remain over project status
However, Kaguchia’s remarks present a contrasting account of the project’s progress.
By the time of publication, this writer could not independently verify that construction had commenced at the Nithi Bridge site or that a contractor had mobilised to begin the main civil works.
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Similarly, no official project progress reports, construction updates or publicly available photographs from the implementing agencies had been released to conclusively demonstrate that physical construction of the bridge had started.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has, however, previously released the proposed design for the new bridge.
According to the agency, the redesigned structure will span approximately 880 metres across the Nithi Gorge and will be supported by 23 pillars, with a seven-metre-wide carriageway and two-metre pedestrian walkways on both sides.
The upgrade is intended to eliminate one of Kenya’s deadliest road black spots along the Meru-Embu highway, where numerous fatal accidents have occurred over several decades.
A long-standing government promise
The reconstruction of Nithi Bridge has remained one of President Ruto’s recurring infrastructure pledges since the 2022 General Election campaign.
Over the past three years, the President has repeatedly assured residents that the government would redesign the bridge to improve safety and end the frequent fatal crashes that have claimed hundreds of lives.
With the latest exchange between Kaguchia, Ruto and Mutuma, attention is now likely to shift to when Kenyans will see visible construction works at the site.