They called it a game changer — the Mamboleo–Chemelil–Muhoroni–Kipsitet road. A road meant to open up Kisumu East to trade, link sugarcane farmers to markets, connect schools and hospitals, and breathe life into small businesses across the belt. Years later, what we have is a broken promise paved with potholes and stalled dreams.
In 2024, the Ministry of Roads listed the project as “ongoing,” yet progress remains less than 35% complete. Workers were withdrawn mid-2023 over delayed payments, and funds meant for phase two “disappeared into procurement backlogs,” according to a Parliamentary Committee on Transport report.
What began as a vision of progress has become a symbol of everything wrong with governance and accountability. Construction began with excitement and ribbon-cutting, only to stall halfway as contractors packed up their machines over delayed payments and disputes. What remains are trenches filled with muddy water, half-finished bridges, and dangerously narrow diversions that have turned travel into a daily nightmare.
For farmers of Chemelil and Muhoroni, the road was hope; a chance to move cane, maize, and vegetables without losing half the profit to transport costs. Today, their produce rots as trucks crawl through dusty patches and broken culverts. Traders in Miwani and Awasi count losses as passengers avoid the route altogether. Matatus break down more often than they move, and motorcyclists risk their lives weaving through uneven gravel and open drainage.
And yet, year after year, the budget statements keep calling it “ongoing works.” Billions are allocated, millions disbursed but on the ground, the progress is a mirage. In 2021, the project was revived under the Kenya National Highways Authority with renewed promises of completion. But like most government commitments, the enthusiasm fades faster than the paint on a new lane. Every rainy season, the little done washes away, as if mocking the taxpayers who foot the bill.
The Auditor-General’s 2024 report flagged the Mamboleo–Chemelil road among stalled national projects with “poor documentation and weak financial accountability.” Yet, no one has been held responsible.
This road is not just a transport issue. It’s a governance problem…a story of misplaced priorities, inflated contracts, and the quiet suffering of citizens. We have seen new stadiums and concerts funded in weeks, but roads that sustain livelihoods drag on for years. We’ve seen reports of “progress,” yet the dust still rises, and the same potholes still swallow cars whole.
While leaders tweet about transformation, the people live the truth of neglect. Schools along this route close early when rains fall because buses can’t pass. Expectant mothers struggle to reach clinics in time. And small businesses -the real hustlers of this economy, are left stranded in mud while county and national officials argue over who should fix what.
The Mamboleo–Chemelil road stands as a metaphor for Kenya’s deeper rot. A nation where development is more about announcements than delivery. Where projects exist more in speeches than in reality. Where accountability is the missing bridge between promise and progress.
A completed road would mean more than tarmac; it would mean dignity restored. It would mean markets thriving, ambulances arriving on time, and children going to school without wading through floods. But until transparency becomes stronger than tenders, Kisumu East will keep driving on promises…pothole after pothole, delay after delay.
It’s time the people demand answers. How many more budgets before the road is done? How many audits before someone is held responsible? The Mamboleo–Chemelil road is more than a route. It is a reflection of Kenya’s governance crossroads.
Because when progress stalls, it’s not just projects that die…it’s trust.
