The government is currently grappling with financial challenges and facing tough decisions, which is why the Kisumu-Busia road has yet to be constructed, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has explained.
Speaking during a Youth Parliament Session on the Budget and Finance Bill 2025 on Friday, the CS acknowledged the financial difficulties, citing competing priorities such as healthcare.
Mbadi explained that the Kisumu-Busia Road is now part of the Lake Victoria Ring Road, a regional project originally split into six sections before the Kisumu-Busia stretch was added as the seventh.
"The Kisumu-Busia road is in very bad shape. Maybe something for you to note is that we have a road called the Lake Victoria Ring Road. It used to be in six slots, but the Kisumu-Busia road was added to make it the seventh. So, there are seven slots of about 66 kilometers each," Mbadi explained.
The Lake Victoria Ring Road is a major infrastructure project aimed at improving connectivity and economic development in counties surrounding Lake Victoria, including Busia, Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, and Migori.
Currently, a proposal for financing the road has been sent to the World Bank, with the CS expressing hope that the international lender will contribute to actualising its construction.
According to Mbadi, constructing a road solely funded by the government of Kenya is becoming extremely difficult.
"We have challenges with finances; to do a major road in this country now from GoK funds is not easy. We ask ourselves: do we do a major highway, do we treat people, or do we do a road?" the CS remarked, highlighting the dilemma facing the government.
Mbadi pointed out challenges to commercial viability, noting that while the Kisumu-Busia stretch is crucial for connectivity, it may not attract private investors under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model due to insufficient financial returns.
"If the Kisumu-Busia road was commercially viable, we would have taken it to PPP," Mbadi explained.
The Kisumu-Busia road is essential and expected to expand trade between Kenya and Uganda.
Speaking on the traffic Kenyans face during the Christmas period, Mbadi revealed that the construction of the Rironi Road to Western will begin in a month under PPP to save travellers who endure hours-long traffic delays.
"On the road from Rironi to Western...during Christmas, you spend hours on this road because of traffic. Right now we are doing it, it's going to start in the next one month or so. But under PPP," Mbadi revealed.
