Construction works on an abandoned section of the Kitui-Kibwezi road project have begun in earnest after President Uhuru Kenyatta intervened. An additional US $30m was released to the Chinese contractor.

The government, through the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) approved the variation and extinction of the contract which was awarded to SinoHydro Corporation in December 2016.

Kenha has revised the contract which expired in February 15th this year to August 19th, extending the scope of works to cover Kabati-Mbondoni section and provided the funds to allow the contractor to complete the project.

The Kitui-Kibwezi road project was terminated before reaching Mutonguni market, without connecting the Thika-Garissa highway at Mbondoni junction as earlier planned, leaving a section of about 25km in a deplorable state.

The Nothern Corridor

According to Mwingi West MP Charles Nguna, the US $172.5m road project which was meant to connect the Port of Mombasa with eastern and north eastern counties had failed to achieve its full economic purpose of decongesting traffic from Nairobi-Mombasa highway.

“This is a class B road, which had been neglected for several decades and its essence was to connect Mombasa and Kitui, and ease mobility of goods and services across various regions” said Mr Nguna. The MP further added that while the community appreciates the project, abandoning the section would have disadvantaged his constituents and Kenyans at large.

The Kibwezi-Kitui-Mwingi road is a crucial piece of infrastructure that is part of the Northern corridor – an international highway holding key to unlocking the economic potential of the Ukambani region.