A parliamentary inquiry has exposed widespread weaknesses in how various State agencies are handling money allocated for national and urban roads, revealing a trail of incomplete projects, ballooning pending bills, and officers who have failed to clear long-outstanding audit queries.
The National Assembly Public Investment Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy, chaired by Pokot South MP David Pkosing, said its examination of road and transport institutions shows that billions of shillings earmarked for key works have not been properly managed.
The committee found that several accounting officers have been slow or unwilling to address audit questions, some of which have been pending since the 2018–2019 financial year. In many cases, the officers only respond after being summoned, despite clear rules laid out in the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Audit Act.
In its report, the committee notes: "The committee observed that due to a laxity on the part of some accounting officers, some queries relating to accounting standards that ought to have been resolved during the audit process end up being subjected to culminating in parliamentary scrutiny."
The committee is urging the National Treasury, the Inspectorate of State Corporations, and the Office of the Auditor General to organise annual training sessions for accounting officers and finance units across State bodies.
These sessions would centre on financial reporting duties, audit obligations, and aligning with international public sector accounting standards.
During the review, MPs flagged a pattern of projects that have either frozen mid-way or been abandoned after payments were delayed. According to the committee, these stoppages have pushed up overall costs, with contractors charging penalties and interest on unsettled bills.
The agencies analysed include the Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Kenya Rural Roads Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Kenya National Highways Authority, and the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.
The report further states: "The stalled projects have denied the citizens the social economic benefits that were expected to be derived from the road infrastructure investments."
To reduce wastage and restore progress, the committee has called on accounting officers, their parent ministries, and the National Treasury to fast-track the release of funds and finish all works left hanging.
Among the examples cited in the report are:
• The Sh2.3 billion Dagoretti Corner–Karen Roundabout works under KURA, which began in March 2021 but remain incomplete.
• The Sh8 billion Nairobi Outering Improvement Project, which still lacks functional lighting and barriers on the pedestrian footbridge, while parts of Tassia Road have clogged drains and thick vegetation despite an active maintenance deal.
• The Sh1 billion Maua Town Roads upgrade in which only 75 per cent of the works are done, with 11.25km completed out of the planned 15km. The committee observed: "There were no works going on and the contract with the third assignee was terminated."
The committee concludes that the combination of slow financial accountability, ceased works, and growing bills has not only raised project costs but also denied Kenyans access to critical road networks and the growth opportunities tied to them.
