Richard Onyonka has claimed that the government lost an additional KSh 40 billion after cancelling the original tender for the Rironi road project and awarding the contract to a new contractor at a higher cost.
Speaking during an interview on JKL Live hosted by veteran journalist Jeff Koinange on Citizen TV Kenya, the Kisii Senator said the project had initially been awarded during the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta at a cost of KSh 156 billion.
According to Onyonka, the tender was later cancelled and handed to another company, which he said is now expected to undertake the same project at a cost of about KSh 200 billion. He argued that the decision to change the contractor significantly increased the cost of the project.
The outspoken Senator said the extra amount involved is substantial and could have been used to support other important sectors of the economy.
“We lost an extra KSh 40 billion and that is the money you can pay teachers, that is money you can give health workers. KSh 40 billion is serious money,” Onyonka said.
The Rironi–Mau Summit road project is part of a major infrastructure plan aimed at improving transport along one of Kenya’s busiest highway corridors. The road is expected to ease congestion and support trade between Nairobi and the western region of the country.
President William Ruto launched the Rironi–Mau Summit road project in November last year, describing it as a key infrastructure development project. He said the road aligns with the government’s economic priorities and long-term development goals.
The President noted that the project supports the country’s development blueprint, Kenya Vision 2030, as well as the administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
The government has maintained that the road will improve movement of goods and people along the Northern Corridor, which is an important route connecting Nairobi to several counties and neighboring countries.
However, Onyonka’s claims have raised fresh questions about procurement decisions and the cost of major public projects.
