Nairobi, July 22- The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has officially cancelled the tender for the Kiambu Road expansion project, just a week after inviting bids exclusively from Chinese contractors.
In a public notice issued on Tuesday, July 22, KeNHA stated that the earlier advertisement inviting eligible Chinese companies to submit bids for the construction works had been withdrawn and was no longer valid.
While the authority did not give an official explanation of the cancellation, speculation points to possible concerns about the project’s financially feasibility or a need to revise the scope of work before the multi billion shilling project.
The cancellation is expected to further stall the long-awaited expansion of the busy Kiambu Road, which has been plagued by worsening traffic congestion and frequent accidents.
This move comes amid criticism from some stakeholders who raised transparency concerns over the restricted bidding process, questioning why the tender was limited to Chinese companies. They argued that this approach risked reducing competition and potentially driving up project costs.
In its initial announcement dated July 15, KeNHA had revealed that the project would be financed through a loan from the China Export-Import (EXIM) Bank. The proposed expansion aimed to upgrade the road from Pangani Estate in Nairobi, through Muthaiga, to Ndumberi in Kiambu County, at an estimated cost of Ksh 38.7 billion.
“The Government of Kenya has secured financing from the China EXIM Bank to undertake the Capacity Enhancement of Pangani–Muthaiga–Kiambu–Ndumberi (B32) Road,” KeNHA had announced at the time.
The project was to be executed under the FIDIC Silver Book – Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract model and included additional infrastructure such as new bridges at Muthaiga Golf Club, Mua Road Overpass, Coffee Garden U-turn, Tala Road Overpass, Ridgeways U-turn, Runda U-turn, and Kirigiti Junction Bridge.
It also featured plans for approximately six footbridges along the stretch to enhance pedestrian safety and reduce accidents.
