The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, Davis Chirchir, has assured the National Assembly that the government is making progress in clearing pending bills to facilitate the completion of stalled road projects across the country.
Speaking during a House session on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Chirchir revealed that many contractors had downed their tools due to delayed payments, causing significant disruptions in ongoing road works.
“Contractors halted work because of liquidity challenges caused by pending bills,” said the CS, while addressing questions from Members of Parliament on incomplete roads in their constituencies.
He told the House that 40% of the outstanding payments to contractors had already been disbursed, and a further 40% would be released soon. The next tranche of funds will be drawn from a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) linked to the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), which will support the revival of 580 stalled road projects.
To support oversight and ensure targeted funding, Chirchir said regional engineers were currently preparing progress reports on all road projects to help the Ministry assess implementation status.
In a bid to fast-track resumption of roadworks, Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula urged MPs to submit updates on stalled projects in their areas.
“If the CS is meeting contractors on Tuesday, send your reports to my office so he can address each case before releasing the next round of payments,” said Wetang’ula.
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, however, pointed out that payments alone will not solve the problem. He called on the Ministry to address what he termed as “lethargy” within key implementing agencies.
“The problem isn’t just contractors. It’s the slow pace within agencies affecting road construction. What steps is the Ministry taking to hold departments accountable?” Ichung’wah asked.
He urged the Ministry to issue stronger directives and enforce individual responsibility among heads of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), and the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA).
In response, CS Chirchir said the Ministry had already resolved payment issues and was now working with regional engineers from all three road agencies to improve service delivery.
“We’ve eliminated the excuse of delayed payment. Our focus now is ensuring value for money and timely completion of all road projects,” he stated.
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