Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that construction works on several sections of the 750km Isiolo-Mandera highway have stalled for the past three months.
The multi-billion-shilling road, which is expected to transform transport, security and economic activity in the North Eastern region, is a key component of the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project under the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor.
Addressing the press on Tuesday, Gachagua alleged that work had slowed down due to financial challenges.
“Majority of the sections have stalled for the last three months, and workers have never been paid their money to be able to continue with the construction,” Gachagua claimed.
His claims could not, however, be independently verified.
In December last year, President William Ruto revealed that two sections of the highway—the 67km Modogashe-Samatar stretch and the 75km Rhamu-Mandera section—had initially been under the annuity financing programme.
He said the contracts under the annuity arrangement had been terminated by mutual agreement with the contractors, paving the way for new financing talks with the World Bank.
“The Cabinet is going to approve so that shortly we do the procurement so that by February those sections will be part of the road,” Ruto said at the time.
The President added that his administration was keen to oversee the construction of a total of 1,100km of roads planned for the region.
“I want to oversee, God willing, in my term, at least 410km and 750km, almost 1,100km of road, built in this region, the longest road ever built by any administration in Kenya,” he said.
In February 2025, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) confirmed the receipt of World Bank funding for the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2027.
By May 2025, construction of the multi-billion-shilling highway was underway.
The road, which links Isiolo, Kula Mawe, Modogashe, Samatar, Wajir, Tarbaj, Kotulo, Kobo, Elwak, Garre, Rhamu and Mandera, has been divided into 11 sections and awarded to seven contractors to accelerate completion within two years.
Once complete, the highway is expected to significantly improve security operations, boost trade and ease the movement of people and goods across the region.
Travel time between Isiolo and Mandera is projected to drop from about 96 hours to just 12 hours.
The project is also expected to strengthen regional integration by improving connectivity between Kenya and neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa, while supporting the broader vision of transforming Isiolo into a major resort and logistics hub under the Lapsset Corridor.
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