Infrastructure

State Bets on KDF Company to Speedup Mega Projects

Military to build roads and other key projects across the country.

Updated on

September 10, 2021

NYS recruits display heavy machinery during a pass-out parade on April 23, 2015. PHOTO | FILE

The State has approved the formation of a military construction company that will be tasked with the construction of roads and other infrastructure developments across the country.

In a move that will give the Kenya Defence Forces substantial control over Kenya’s infrastructure programme, the National Security Council has endorsed the creation of Ulinzi Construction Company, which is now preparing to begin operations.

“With the company, it will be cheaper for the government to undertake some certain construction tasks,” KDF Chief of Defence Forces Robert Kibochi said in an interview.

The top soldier said the army had the skills and capacity to build, for example, the ongoing security wall from Mandera to Kiunga much faster and at a lower budget.

“We can do it ourselves at a cheaper cost, much faster, and we will also be providing security in the areas,” he said.

The approval comes in the wake of KDF’s growing involvement in key infrastructure projects such as the rehabilitation of the Nairobi-Nanyuki and Nakuru-Kisumu railways.

Reduce the cost of projects

Proponents of the Ulinzi Construction Company have hailed its formation as revolutionary, saying it would reduce building costs while minimising the risk of misuse of public funds.

The development highlights the growing influence of the KDF in the country’s economic affairs after President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed military personnel to run various State agencies in a move aimed at stopping the theft of public resources among civilian officials.

Some of the key appointments include that of Lt-Gen Mohammed Badi to head the Nairobi Metropolitan Services and Col. Alice Mate as director of Assets Recovery.

Operations of the Kenya Meat Commission have also been handed over to KDF.

“The military has very proficient engineers. They rehabilitated the railways at a fraction of what was quoted by the Chinese,” a State official, who did not wish to be named, told CK.

National Construction Company

It awaits to be seen whether Ulinzi Construction Company will see the light of day, or will suffer the same fate as the National Construction Company, which was proposed in 2015 as a subsidiary of the National Youth Service (NYS) to undertake infrastructure projects.

The company, which was expected to cut construction costs by up to 50% due to reduced labour and machinery costs, failed to materialise after the exposé of a multi-billion financial scandal at the NYS, which led to the resignation of a Cabinet Secretary.