KeNHA under fire over multiple multi-billion contracts for same Mombasa Road repairs

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) is facing renewed scrutiny over what appears to be a troubling pattern of awarding multiple multi-billion-shilling contracts for the same stretch of Mombasa Road repairs, raising serious questions about value for money and accountability in the management of public infrastructure funds.

Investigations by The Informer Media Group reveal that at least three major contracts worth more than Sh21billion combined have been awarded over a three-year period to rehabilitate the Waiyaki Way -Uhuru Highway–Mombasa Road corridor damaged during the construction of the Nairobi Expressway.

The issue resurfaced this month during the 62nd Jamhuri Day celebrations at Nyayo Stadium when President William Ruto announced that the Mombasa Road section from ABC Place to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) would undergo yet another facelift.

The declaration has reignited debate over why repeated repairs are necessary on a road that has already attracted substantial public spending.

“I would wish to announce because the Nairobi Expressway is complete and motorists are using the upper decker, the lower decker is faulty. That is why starting this December as you proceed for Christmas, we will build it afresh from JKIA to ABC and do some beautification as well…loosely translated (Ningependa kutangaza kwa sababu Barabara ya Expressway imekamilika na wananchi wanatumia pale juu, barabara ya chini ikon a matatizo. Na ndio sababu kuanzia hii December mkienda Krismasi, tutajenga upya barabara kutoka kule JKIA mpaka kule ABC na tuifanyie beautification),” the president noted.

In 2022, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the same Chinese firm that constructed the Nairobi Expressway at a cost of Sh88 billion was awarded a Sh9 billion contract to rehabilitate the 27-kilometre Mombasa Road stretch beneath the elevated toll highway. The project was to include recarpeting, drainage upgrades, pedestrian walkways, street lighting and the establishment of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

Then, in 2023, KeNHA, under the leadership of the former Director General Ung. Kung’u Ndung’u and the then Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen awarded two additional contracts for the same works. Shovels N Trowels Limited and Wolf Paving Works Kenya Limited were contracted at a combined cost of Sh3.1 billion.

Shovels N Trowels Limited, owned by Yvonne Chepkirui Kones, was awarded a Sh1.19 billion contract to rehabilitate the section from James Gichuru Road junction to Olesereni while Wolf Paving Works Kenya Limited, owned by Cynthia Wanjiru Kanyanja and Dennis Nyamu, received a Sh1.86 billion contract for the Olesereni–Athi River section through a controversial tendering process.

Sources indicate that Shovels N Trowels Limited is linked to a sitting Member of Parliament who chairs one of the most powerful committees in the National Assembly.

In April 2023, Murkomen confirmed to Parliament that the tenders had already been awarded and that rehabilitation works were scheduled to begin on April 26, 2023, with completion expected by April 25, 2025. He was responding to a question by Mwingi Central MP Gideon Mulyungi regarding delays in addressing damage caused during the expressway’s construction.

“The rehabilitation works are scheduled to commence on April 26, and is anticipated to be completed by April 25, 2025,” Murkomen told Parliament.

Late this month, KeNHA, now headed by Director General Engineer Luka Kimeli awarded CRBC yet another contract for the same rehabilitation works. This marks the third major award for repairs on the same corridor within three years, effectively returning the project to the original contractor.

Notably, under the latest contract, the planned BRT system that was initially included in the 2022 scope of works has been scrapped.

When contacted for comment via email and text messages regarding the multiple contracts and concerns over value for money, KeNHA Director General Luka Kimeli did not respond by the time of publication.

“Arising from the presidential directive on the modernisation of infrastructure around the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), KeNHA has initiated a transformative infrastructure project aimed at strengthening Kenya’s gateway to the world. The team, led by Eng. Ezekiel Fukwo, KeNHA’s Director of Maintenance, commenced the project with a site visit and formal site handover to the contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), KeNHA said through a post on its official X handle on December 19, 2025.

In May 2022, then Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia defended awarding the initial Sh9 billion contract to CRBC, arguing that it was logical for the expressway contractor to rehabilitate the old road. “It makes sense to have the contractor who was doing the expressway rehabilitate the old road,” Macharia said at the time.

As Kenyans brace for yet another round of repairs on Mombasa Road, questions linger over whether the repeated tenders reflect poor planning, weak oversight, or a deliberate strategy that has turned a critical transport corridor into a lucrative cash cow for contractors at the taxpayer’s expense.