MPs demand KeNHA answers over three-year Mau Mau roads delays and unpaid landowners
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Parliament's transport committee has questioned KeNHA over delays of up to three years on the Mau Mau roads project in Kiambu County, substandard materials and landowners who are yet to be compensated.
Members of Parliament have demanded answers from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) over delays of up to three years in the construction of the Mau Mau roads project in Kiambu County, alongside concerns over substandard materials, poor supervision and unpaid landowners. The National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure raised the issues at a meeting with KeNHA officials on Saturday, 17 October 2026.
The meeting was chaired by Ndia MP George Kariuki and attended by KeNHA Director of Development Henry Gakuru, the project contractor and consultants. The committee questioned the authority over Lot 1 of the project, which covers sections of Kiambu County.
Gakuru acknowledged that Lots 1A and 1B had experienced delays of about three years, which he attributed to late payments to the contractor and consultant, creating cash-flow constraints. He said Lot 1A is fully funded by the Government of Kenya at Ksh 4.6 billion covering 105 kilometres, while Lot 1B is funded at Ksh 5.7 billion. Lot 1A, initially due for completion on 27 April 2023, now has a revised deadline of 30 December 2026; Lot 1B started on 18 June 2020, was due on 17 June 2023, and is now expected on 19 August 2026.
North Imenti MP Dawood Abdul and Bureti MP Kibet Komingoi questioned why residents whose land was affected by the project have not been compensated. "It is unfair that to date you have not compensated landowners. This Committee finds it inappropriate to continue holding money meant for landowners while the project is ongoing," Komingoi said.
Limuru MP John Kiragu raised concerns over the neglected Gataka stretch, warning that its condition could pose challenges during the anticipated El Nino rains. Gakuru cited shortages of bitumen caused by global supply-chain disruptions, delays in relocating Kenya Power poles along the Gituamba-Kagaa Road, price variations and restrictions on the available road reserve. He added that construction on the Uplands-Kirenga-Maathia Road has not started, partly because of drainage wayleave challenges.
Kariuki directed KeNHA to submit a detailed report showing the project's achievements year by year, and the committee said it would continue monitoring implementation against the revised timelines. The scrutiny comes as other sections of the wider Mau Mau roads programme advance, with Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo reporting in August 2026 that works on 38 kilometres of the 154-kilometre Lot 2 linking parts of Murang'a and Nyeri counties were moving to the next stages of upgrading.