Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Director General Kungu Ndungu has resigned, moments after Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) boss Philemon Kandie stepped down.
In an internal memo from KeNHA released on Friday, July 11, the change in leadership at the helm of the government institution was confirmed, with the resignation taking effect immediately.
Following Ndungu’s resignation, KeNHA disclosed that Luka Kimeli would take over as Director General, albeit in an acting capacity.
“The Board of Directors at KeNHA hereby announces the acceptance of the resignation of Eng. Kungu Ndungu as Director General of the Kenya National Highways Authority, effective July 11, 2025,” the memo read.
“It further announces the appointment of Eng. Luka Kimeli as Acting Director General, effective July 11, 2025,” it added.
The board did not provide details regarding Ndungu’s departure but expressed confidence in the acting DG’s ability to steer KeNHA’s mandate during the transition.
Ndungu, a civil engineer and business executive, was appointed to the position on October 8, 2021. He replaced Peter Mundinia, who had retired.
The coincidence of the resignation of the two senior roads agency bosses on the same day raised eyebrows in certain quarters, with Kenyans questioning the timing of the departures.
While the reasons for their exits were not explicitly outlined by either KeRRA or KeNHA, many alleged there was a political connection behind both stepping down from their senior roles.
However, Kandie’s resignation came just days after he was linked to an alleged role in the June protests.
On July 2, a petition was filed at the High Court seeking the removal of Kandie as KeRRA’s DG, with allegations that he played a role in the protests across the country in June.
In the petition, the senior public officer was accused of using his position to funnel state funds through shell companies and contractors linked to KeRRA to finance the chaos.
The petitioner further claimed that intelligence and investigative reports linked procurement accounts and logistical support for the violent groups to entities associated with the KeRRA boss, all the while being a serving public official.
In the petition, Kandie was accused of violating certain provisions in the Constitution, including abuse of office, breach of public trust, misuse of public resources, and failure to uphold national values under Chapter Six.
The petitioner sought several key orders from the court, including a declaration that the Respondent has violated the Constitution and committed gross misconduct, a permanent injunction barring him from holding any public office.
Kandie was set to be replaced by Jackson K. Magondu, the current Director in charge of Planning, Design and Environment,also in an acting capacity.
