In a turn of events, the government has announced plans to upgrade the Kyuso–Tseikuru Road, a route in Kitui County that leads to Tseikuru, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka's native home.
This follows the publication of a tender notice by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) inviting bids for the strengthening and upgrading of the Kyuso–Tseikuru Road.
According to the tender notice published by KeNHA on Tuesday, December 23, the project will involve improving the existing road to durable bitumen standards.
In the tender notice, the Authority stated that the pre-tender site visit will take place at the Kandwia shopping centre on January 15, 2026, from 10am.
"The Authority hereby invites bids from eligible contractors for the following tenders to be funded through the Development Votes. There shall be a mandatory pretender site visit as specified," KeNHA announced.
"A complete set of tender documents may be obtained by interested tenderers from the Kenya National Highways Authority website: kenha.co.ke or the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP)," the Authority added.
The announcement comes as a major boost for the Kitui residents who have long struggled to access vital government services, including healthcare, schools and markets.
While the government has framed the project as part of its national infrastructure agenda, a section of Kenyans has speculated it could be a way of pulling the Wiper leader towards President William Ruto's camp.
The latest development comes on the back of the recent war of words between Kalonzo and Ruto regarding the upgrading of the road, which has remained dusty and muddy for years.
Just a week ago, on December 15, Ruto took a swipe at the Wiper leader, criticising his 40-year-old political career and questioning why he failed to upgrade the road despite being a Vice President during the late former President Mwai Kibaki's reign.
“I heard one of them say I’ve been laying roads, he said while in government. He even corrected me, saying he served for 40 years, not 50. My question is, how many years does he need to do a single project? Clearly, these issues are beyond his understanding,” Ruto said.
Adding, “How do you campaign for development when the road to your own home is still dusty?"
In response, Kalonzo accused the Head of State of turning all his focus on him rather than spearheading infrastructure development in the country.
The former vice president emphasised that during his decades in public service, he oversaw major infrastructure initiatives in Kitui and the broader region.
