Mega projects that will define Uhuru’s legacy

• Mar 8, 2022

Mega projects that will define Uhuru’s legacy

By John Kamau, editor, thingira.org (Email:thingiragema@gmail.co)

While speaking at Chatham House in United Kingdom, Deputy President William Ruto poured cold water on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s development record, particularly in the head of state’s second and final term.

The Deputy President inferred that since the March 9, 2018 handshake between Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga, the projects the Jubilee government had lined up were abandoned.

In his address, he inferred that the President and Raila concentrated more on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) than the mega projects including the Big 4 Agenda of food security, affordable housing, manufacturing, and affordable healthcare for all.

Ruto was repeating the same sentiments echoed days earlier by Amani National Congress Leader Musalia Mudavadi while launching his presidential bid at the Bomas of Kenya.

Mudavadi, who later teamed up with Ruto and Ford-Kenya leader Moses Wetnagula in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, claimed most of the money borrowed by Uhuru to finance mega infrastructural developments is stolen.

Without offering proof, Mudavadi claimed the Uhuru administration has failed and that is why he is teaming with Ruto to take over the country’s leadership and improve the welfare of Kenyans.

But a casual glance at some of the infrastructural developments put up by the Uhuru administration prove Ruto and Mudavadi not only wrong but simply out of touch with reality.  

Indeed, since assuming presidency in 2013 and more so after the March 9 Handshake, President Kenyatta has been a man of action, guiding implementation of mega development projects across the country.

Under his watch, the country's GDP has seen growth from 8.5 to 15%.

The President has delivered on over 70% of all the pledges in including health Care (81%), Roads (87%), Rural Electrification (93%) and Security (74%).

His administration has issued over 2.5 million new title deeds and increased access to quality education to every child in Kenya; Launched Huduma Namba for ease of accessibility of government services and Promotion of information technology throughout the country.

Projects that will define Uhuru administration

When Uhuru took over in 2013, Kenya ranked as the 12th wealthiest nation in Africa but has now moved six ranks to become the 6th wealthiest nation on the continent.

Mega projects

These projects are spread across the country, with hitherto marginalised regions such as the Upper Eastern, Upper Western and parts of the Coast now boasting of modern roads and highways.

The projects such as the Nairobi Expressway, Standard Gauge Railway, Outering Road, Dongo Kundu Bypass are among the best in the continent.

His administration is credited with building the 480km standard gauge railway between Mombasa and Nairobi — a significant upgrade of the metre-gauge track constructed by the British colonialists in 1902 — and increasing the number of Kenyans connected to electricity to about 60 per cent of the population from 27 per cent in 2013.

His administration has subsidised tuition in day secondary schools and scrapped fees for national examinations.

 Nairobi

The ongoing Nairobi Expressway Project is a 27.1km road project at a cost of Sh65 billion beginning from Mlolongo through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Nairobi’s CBD to Westland’s area along Waiyaki Way.

 The project’s objective is to decongest Nairobi by providing faster, reliable, and less costly transport.

Nairobi Bypasses

 The president commissioned the construction of Nairobi’s Outering Road into a dual carriage way in 2015. The KSh8.5 billion highway was opened to traffic in 2017 and has offered a major relief to millions of Eastlands residents by greatly easing traffic movement.

Ngong Road has for years been synonymous with traffic snarl-ups. But this has changed with the ongoing expansion of the road by a Japanese contractor.

 Phase 1 of the project, covering Prestige Plaza and the roundabout next to City Mortuary, is already complete, easing the flow of traffic.

The Nairobi Western Bypass is a KSh17.3 billion project, which will connect Kikuyu to Ruaka in Kiambu, where it will join the Nairobi Northern Bypass.

The KSh42 billion Isiolo-Moyale road, which reduced travel time to Nairobi from Wajir, Mandera and Garissa from three days in dry weather to between six and 12 hours depending on destination.

Other projects are:

 The KSh 2.5 billion Elwak-Rhamu road in Mandera County.

 The government is also planning to construct the Isiolo-Mandera Highway, which traverses five counties of Isiolo, Meru, Wajir, Garissa and Mandera at a cost of KSh91 billion.

Coast region

At the Coast, mega/flagship projects include:

Mombasa in the past three years witnessed a total road infrastructure transformation as part of a KSh100 billion coastal roads master plan by the government.

The projects are:

-       The KSh22 billion six-lane Mombasa-Mariakani Road.

-       The KSh10.8 billion Garsen–Witu–Lamu Highway and the Kinna-Garba Tulla road that connects Isiolo with Garissa.

-        The KSh11 billion - 18km Dongo-Kundu Bypass Highway, which connects Mombasa West Mainland with Mombasa South mainland.

-       The KSh2.7 billion Changamwe-Magongo road, which is complete and has provided a key link between the city and Moi International Airport.

-       The KSh4.2 billion Malindi-Sala Gate Road that is under construction in Kilifi County.

-       The KSh4.2 billion Malindi-Sala Gate highway, which is nearing completion.

-       The KSh11 billion Miritini-Mwache-Kipevu road.

-        The KSh6.1 billion Mombasa-Kwa Jomvu road.

-       The KSh2.7 billion Port Reitz-Moi International Airport.

 Rift Valley

The projects completed by KeNHA since 2013 include:

-        Sotik-Ndanai-Gorgor Road

-       Londiani-Fort Tenan Road

-       Timboroa-Eldoret Road

-       Kericho-Mau Summit Road

-       Kericho-Nyamasaria Road.

-       Chepterit-Kimondi Road.

Key ongoing projects in the region include:

-       The KSh6 billion Eldoret Southern Bypass. Loichangamatak-Lodwar (A1) Road.

-       Lodwar-Lokitaung Junction (A1) Road.

-       Cheptiret-Kesses-Lessos Road

-       Cheptiret-Moi University Road.

 The Eldoret Southern Bypass will be a game-changer as it has already led to a property boom along its route.

Central Kenya

There are several mega projects that include:

-       The dualing of the KSh33 billion Kenol-Sagana-Marua Road.

-       The 540-kilometre KSh40 billion Mau Mau Road.

-       The Upland-Githunguri-Kwamaiko- Ruiru Road, The KSh2.8 billion Ruaka-Banana-Thogoto-Gikambura-MutarakwaLimuru Road.

-       The KSh 11 billion Kiambu – Ngewa –Kibichoi (B30) Road.

-       The Government through KeNHA has proposed the development of Muthaiga-Kiambu-Ndumberi road into a dual carriage.

Eastern Kenya projects

-       The KSh18.4 billion Kibwezi-Mutomo-Kitui-Mwingi road.

-       The 192-km Class B7 road forms part of the Mombasa-Isiolo-Adis Ababa Transport Corridor.

-       The Athi River-Machakos Turnoff Phase.

-       The Kibwezi-Kitui-Migwani Road Road.

-       The KSh 8.4 billion road connecting Mwatate and Taveta is part of the multinational highway linking Voi town and the Tanzanian city of Arusha.

Meru

The government late last year completed construction of:

-       The 103km Ena-Ishiara-Chiakariga-Mituguu-Meru Road.

-       There are plans to construct a dual carriage road cutting across Meru town.

 Western

Major projects that have been completed include:

- The KSh 4.5 billion rehabilitation of the Kisumu-Kakamega Road.

- The KSh2.5 billion Kakamega-Webuye Road.

- The KSh 3.3 billion Webuye-Kitale Road.

- The KSh 1 billion Gisambai-Shamakhokho Road. Others are Ejinja - Bumala and Kimilili - Misikhu Roads.

 Nyanza

The KSh9.4 billion Isebania-Kisii-Ahero Road, Government has released KSh4.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the Kisumu-Chemelil-Muhoroni (Mamboleo-Kisumu) Road.

-       The KSh1.7 billion Kamagambo-Nyasembe-Mogonga Road

-       Siaya-Ruambwa Road.

-       Chebilat-Ikonge-Chabera Road.

-       Masara-Suna-Kehancha Road.

-       Awendo-Mariwa Road.

-       The Daraja Mbili-Nyatieko-ErongeKegogi-Miruka Road.

 Others flagship projects include: - Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)

Nairobi

The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has received a major facelift.

The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has commenced the refurbishment of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at a cost is Sh963million.

Many other airports and airstrips including Isiolo and Lamu have received phenomenal upgrades over the same period.

Lamu Road

The building of a 15km road at Mokowe town, where the headquarters of the county are located, is the first tarmac to be built in Lamu since independence. Mbita Causeway

In Nyanza region, one of Uhuru’s major projects is the construction of a mage bridge that connects Rusinga Island to Mbita town.

Uhuru Gardens Museum

 It will contain unedited history of Kenya’s freedom activists and heroes like Ronald Ngala and Tom Mboya.

Uhuru administration has put up over 50 Level 3 Hospitals to make health services accessible.

In Nairobi, the national government and the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) earmarked 10 estates for the affordable housing programme.

They are Bahati, Maringo, Jericho, Lumumba, Bondeni, Ziwani, Embakasi, California, Kariobangi North and Woodley Estate.

 Since the project started, 2,235 affordable housing units have been occupied. (Source Uhuru Legacy Team)

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