Infrastructure

Work on Kenol-Isiolo Highway Faces Further Delays

The 219 km highway, which will be built in two segments, was scheduled to begin in July.

Updated on

November 20, 2019

Malindi-bagamoyo road construction — The project is part of the Northern Corridor road network. PHOTO | FILE

Plans for the much-awaited Kenol-Isiolo dual carriageway have hit a hurdle as the government struggles to close funding deals with international lenders.

The 219 km highway, which will be built in two segments: Kenol-Marua (84 km) and Marua-Isiolo (135 km), was scheduled to begin this year – with a completion date of late 2023.

During a visit to Mukurweini, Nyeri, on June 15, Deputy President William Ruto said works for the Kenol-Marua segment would begin in ‘the next 30 days’, bringing into reality a project that will be partially funded by the African Development Bank.

The decree sparked confusion among industry observers as it was not clear whether or not the government had finalised funding and procurement issues of the project based on the timelines that were given earlier by Transport and Infrastructure CS James Macharia.

Mr Macharia had in January said the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) was designing the Nyeri-Isiolo stretch, having completed the designs of the Kenol-Nyeri segment in readiness for the bidding process to determine the budget.

“The actual cost will be determined once we do bidding. That will be around mid-this year,” Mr Macharia said.

More than 10 months later, the minister now says the project is set for further delays since the government has yet to conclude the ongoing procurement process.

“The tendering is almost complete. We had a very high turnout in terms of the bids that came in. The process of evaluating the bids is almost complete,” Mr Macharia said on Friday.

The minister said the process is expected to end in January next year, setting the stage for the launch of the Kenol-Marua segment of the road project.

The Marua-Isiolo segment will follow at a later date, since the government is yet to finalise any funding deal, with reports indicating that Kenya is in talks with the US government to support the construction of the road.