MPs expose blunder slowing down road projects, send warning to KeNHA
By Emmanuel Rono, June 7, 2026The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure has cautioned the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) against awarding multiple road contracts to single contractors after it emerged that this fault is contributing to the delayed completion of projects.
The committee, led by Vice Chairperson Didmus Barasa, raised the concern during an inspection tour of the Mamboleo–Miwani–Chemelil–Muhoroni road in Kisumu County, where reconstruction works are ongoing.
They warned that the practice is slowing down the completion of key infrastructure projects across the country.
According to a statement by the Parliament of Kenya on Sunday, June 7, 2026, the lawmakers noted that while the Ksh16.7 billion project is showing visible progress, many contractors handling government road projects are overstretched due to multiple simultaneous contracts, affecting delivery timelines.
“We can see some great progress on this road, however you need to be identifying good contractors with liquidity, capacity to do work… once you give such contractors work of this magnitude, a fifteen billion project, don’t give them another work until they finish what they have,” Barasa said.
Impact of multiple projects
MP Samuel Arama, warned that delays are likely if contractors are allowed to take on multiple projects.
“Assigning many projects to one contractor will strain them, especially when they’re already struggling to raise funds while waiting for the exchequer to release allocations. This is an issue only KeNHA can fix, since you award and supervise these projects,” he said.
The committee, however, was impressed with the ongoing reconstruction works of the road saying it will greatly open up business and easy movement of people in Kisumu, Nandi and Kericho Counties.
They also noted that if completed, the Mamboleo interchange will ease traffic for motorists heading to Vihiga, Kakamega and Bungoma Counties.
KeNHA response
A KeNHA delegation led by representatives from the Roads Ministry confirmed that the project has been split among three contractors currently on site, with overall progress standing at 28 per cent.
The authority expects completion by January 2028, revised from earlier timelines due to pending bills, slow funding, and weather-related disruptions.