Uhuru asked to halt railway project

President Kenyatta has been urged to stop the Sh1.3 trillion standard gauge railway project to allow for fresh bidding.

Nyali MP Hezron Awiti on Tuesday said stopping the project, which was launched in November, would allow investigations into how its initial Sh220 billion budget shot up to Sh1.3 trillion.

Mr Awiti accused the government of flouting procurement rules by awarding the tender to China Road and Bridge Corporation through single-sourcing.

“Many Kenyans have got the feeling that the cost of constructing the railway could be much lower had several bidders been invited for the tender,” he said.

He said the cost of building the railway was a rip-off compared to similar projects in other parts of the world.

“The cost of the railway project is too high compared to a similar project being undertaken by the Ethiopian Government,” he said.

Several other lawmakers have questioned the award of the tender and the cost of the project, with Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter alleging massive corruption.

At the same time, Mr Awiti asked the central government to explain how Kenyans would benefit from the project’s sub-contracts and jobs.

He said the Chinese firm should be transparent in the award of sub-contracts to enable local companies benefit from the project.

The legislator said Kenyans should also be given priority in jobs that they could do instead of importing labour.