Kenya’s Road Construction Slashed by 69% Under President Ruto’s New Policy Direction

President William Ruto’s administration has significantly reduced the construction of new roads in Kenya, marking a departure from the infrastructure-heavy investments of his predecessors.

In the past two financial years, state-run agencies—the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura), and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA)—have collectively built 1,037 kilometers of roads. This is a 68.67% decrease compared to the 3,310 kilometers constructed during the last two years of former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure.

Upon assuming office, President Ruto expressed concern over the Sh900 billion commitment to the roads sector in the budget inherited from Mr. Kenyatta’s administration. Efforts were made to reduce this figure, bringing it down to approximately Sh680 billion. Consequently, the Roads Department’s data indicates that Kenya constructed 495 kilometers of roads in the first year of Ruto’s administration, increasing slightly to 542 kilometers in the fiscal year ending June 2024. These figures fell short of the targeted 1,144 kilometers, reflecting substantial budget cuts in the sector. Actual development expenditure for roads and bridges nearly halved during Ruto’s first two financial years compared to the last two years under his predecessor. Capital project spending dropped from Sh128.65 billion in Kenyatta’s final budget to Sh90.84 billion in the fiscal year ending June 2023, and further to Sh43.08 billion last financial year.

This policy shift underscores President Ruto’s commitment to reallocate resources and manage the country’s infrastructure investments more sustainably.