Wiper party boss Kalonzo Musyoka has accused President William Ruto of playing politics with major infrastructure projects, claiming the cancellation of the Nairobi–Mombasa expressway was designed to sideline the Ukambani region.
Speaking during a church service in Mututuni, Machakos County, Kalonzo said the expressway would have transformed transport between Nairobi and Mombasa by easing congestion and reducing accidents, but was deliberately shelved for political reasons.
He suggested that the project’s termination amounted to punishment for communities perceived as hostile to the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The Nairobi–Mombasa expressway was initially proposed under a Public Private Partnership with U.S.-based Everstrong Capital, which submitted a detailed 2,300-page feasibility study. However, in August, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) dismissed the bid, noting that it did not meet the legal thresholds required under the PPP Act. Officials advised the investor to rework its plan and consider widening the current highway instead.
For Kalonzo, the move reflects more than just technical shortcomings. He framed it as part of a broader political pattern where development is weaponised to reward loyal regions and punish dissenting ones. “This road was supposed to benefit millions of Kenyans, but now it has been abandoned simply because of politics,” he told worshippers.
He further pledged that the opposition would prioritise reviving the project if it forms government after the 2027 elections, portraying the expressway as both a development need and a symbol of fairness in resource distribution.
Although Everstrong Capital has been asked to restructure its proposal, questions linger over whether politics will overshadow technical evaluations in determining the project’s fate.
Link to this News: http://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/116405-kalonzo-criticises-ruto-allegedly-terminating-deal-nairobi-mombasa-expressway
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