The Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) has abruptly cancelled the Kiambu road dual carriageway tender. The international tender for upgrading the Pangani-Muthaiga-Kiambu-Ndumberi (B23) road. It is a key transport corridor that was expected to ease traffic congestion in Nairobi’s northern suburbs. Furthermore, it was expected to enhance connectivity with Kiambu County. The cancellation comes despite receiving commitment from the China Exim Bank. On July 15, 2025, KeNHA advertised the tender, which was only open to Chinese firms or Chinese-led joint ventures.
A week later, the road agency published a second notice revoking the first without providing an explanation. The initial advertisement had drawn criticism from the stakeholders who complained about limiting the bid to Chinese companies. They also noted that this violated Kenya’s Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act. The act offers preference to Kenyan companies in the procurement process. Once completed, the project was expected to enhance traffic flow by upgrading the road from a two-lane single carriageway to a four-lane dual carriageway.
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The Scope of Implementation on the Kiambu Road Dual Carriageway Project
The implementation of the Kiambu road dual carriageway tender was expected to have major significance and relevance. It was also to include a pedestrian walkway on both sides, six footbridges and new bridges across Muthaiga Golf Club Spur. Furthermore, it included Mua Road Overpass, DCI Overpass, Coffee Garden U-turn, Runda U-turn and Junction Bridge. In the application, the road agency, however, limited the Chinese investors to those who have achieved a minimum annual construction turnover of Ksh.32 billion for the past five years. Following the project’s tender cancellation, it is unclear whether the government will proceed with the project. Some expect they may issue a fresh tender with revised requirements. The cancellation of the tender is expected to further delay the expansion of the busy road, which has consistently experienced traffic congestion and road carnage in recent years.
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