Investigation starts on Uhuru’s Nairobi Expressway secret contract
Investigation by members of parliament's Transport Committee starts on Nairobi Expressway secret contract
Investigation by members of parliament’s Transport Committee starts on Nairobi Expressway secret contract.
On January 5, members of the National Assembly’s Transport Committee confirmed investigations into the contract for the Nairobi Expressway.
The MPs are looking at, among other things, how the expressway’s construction cost increased from the grand coalition government’s initial Ksh23 billion to Ksh70 billion.
Kimani Kuria, the chairman of the Transport Committee and a current lawmaker for Molo, disclosed that the legislators had called representatives from the Treasury and Transport ministries as well as the Chinese contractor to provide clarification.
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The public’s opinions and information will also be sought by the committee in order to bolster issues, some of which Nairobi Expressway motorists have voiced.
According to Kuria, motorists raised safety concerns with the National Assembly Finance and Planning committee, noting that the financing, construction, and operation of the road remain a mystery to many Kenyans.
“We have received concerns from motorists and other concerned Kenyans on why they are forced to pay cash when using the road while all government services are currently going cashless,” Kuria confirmed.
The Transport Committee wants to understand the financing model of the project that was undertaken by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).
“Details of the project also remain scanty and the public might have been misled about the financing model of the road. While we were told the project was financed through a public-private partnership (PPP), there is a perception that it was done through a loan,” Kuria revealed.
Current National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula asserted in April 2021 that the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta inflated the cost of construction by a staggering Ksh40 billion.
Wetang’ula, a former member of former President Mwai Kibaki’s cabinet, revealed that the Grand Coalition Government approved the construction of the Nairobi Expressway at a cost of Ksh23 billion.
Nairobi Expressway cost around Ksh100 billion at the time of its completion taking into account all cost aspects.
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