The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) will invest Kes.42 million in the beautification of Mombasa Road, covering the stretch from Athi River to Westlands.
KeNHA Director-General Kungu Ndung’u announced this development to Parliament, confirming that two contractors have been hired to complete the project.
Speaking before the Senate Committee on Cohesion, Equal Opportunity, and Regional Integration, Mr. Kungu explained that one contractor will enhance the lower deck of the road, from the James Gichuru interchange to the Ole Sereni Hotel interchange, with a budget of Kes.18 million. The second contractor will focus on the section from the Ole Sereni Hotel to Athi River at a cost of Kes.24 million.
“Given the importance of this road as a gateway to Nairobi from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), a facelift is essential,” Kungu stated, adding that the beautification effort is expected to be completed within three months.
He also mentioned that KeNHA is working with Nairobi City County to address the poor maintenance of Mombasa Road, particularly the section from JKIA to the city center.
Mr. Kungu informed the committee, chaired by Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute, that KeNHA has been carrying out repairs on the road, with drainage works expected to be completed by November. Once these repairs are finished, the beautification process will begin.
“We will certainly carry out the beautification, and we expect to conclude this by December,” he added.
In addition to road upgrades, KeNHA has set aside Kes.1.73 billion in procurement opportunities for women, youth, and persons with disabilities for the 2023/24 financial year. This allocation aligns with the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, which requires public entities to reserve at least 30 percent of procurement budgets for disadvantaged groups.
For 2023/24, KeNHA had a procurement budget of Kes.4.93 billion, with 35 percent of it reserved for these groups. The previous year, KeNHA allocated Kes.3.27 billion out of a total budget of Kes.10.43 billion for the same purpose.
