Kindiki Puts ‘Lazy’ Road Contractors on Notice: Deliver or Face Arrest

The warning, delivered during the launch of the Marimanti–Kibung’a–Mukuyuni Road upgrade in Tharaka Nithi County, signals a tougher government posture towards stalled and substandard public projects.

What Kindiki Said

Speaking at Marimanti, Kindiki said some projects in the area had taken too long to complete despite the government settling all payments owed to contractors. He said his office would not allow contractors to derail public development programmes.

“I cannot allow contractors who have been paid by the government only to do shoddy jobs,” the Deputy President said. He added: “We will not tolerate lazy contractors and other conmen.”

Kindiki went further, warning that contractors who take government funds without delivering agreed works could face criminal charges. “To the contractors, I am warning them today that they will be charged with obtaining money by false pretence because you cannot receive government money and not deliver,” he said.

He also directed government officers to strengthen supervision of infrastructure projects and ensure that works are completed within contractual timelines. The Deputy President said he should not be receiving more information about projects than the officials deployed on the ground.

The Project Behind the Warning

The remarks were made during the launch of the upgrading of the Marimanti–Kibung’a–Mukuyuni Road to bitumen standards. The road links Tharaka and Imenti Central constituencies and is expected to improve mobility, connectivity and trade in the wider Mount Kenya region.

Kindiki said the contractor had been given firm instructions to avoid unnecessary delays. He also assured residents that more development projects were planned for the area.

The Deputy President said the government had set aside Sh6 billion to upgrade 515 kilometres of roads to bitumen standards in the region. He framed the investments as part of efforts to address what he described as years of marginalisation in Tharaka Nithi.

A Repeated Message

The warning is not isolated. In late September, Kindiki issued a similar notice while inspecting the Gatiki–Gathugu–Mung’etho road in Mathira, Nyeri County. He said the government would sever ties with non-performing contractors while rewarding diligent ones with additional contracts.

At that event, Kindiki said the government had cleared Sh175 billion owed to contractors across the country. He argued that, having been paid, contractors had an obligation to honour their agreements and complete projects within the agreed periods.

“We have said we have no business with road contractors who are delaying the work of the people of Kenya, yet they have been paid by the government,” he said in Nyeri.

Earlier in July, Kindiki said the government was working to complete more than 6,000 kilometres of roads that had stalled since 2020 after pending bills were cleared. He said contractors had been instructed to speed up construction while maintaining quality and adhering to completion dates.

Why the Government Is Applying Pressure

The government’s message rests on a simple argument: public money has been released, therefore delays can no longer be blamed on unpaid pending bills. Kindiki has repeatedly linked the push for faster delivery to the administration’s wider infrastructure agenda, including rural road construction, market development, electricity connectivity and job creation.

In Nyeri, he said the government was spending Sh45 billion to construct 775 kilometres of tarmac roads across the county’s six constituencies. He argued that better roads would help farmers, particularly coffee and dairy producers, access markets and reduce post-harvest losses.

The Deputy President has also used project inspections to press officials and contractors to meet deadlines. In one July inspection, he said a contractor had indicated a May 2027 completion date for a road, but the government wanted the work finished by December 31 of that year.

What It Means for Contractors

For contractors, the warning carries both commercial and legal risk. Commercially, poor performers could lose current contracts and be excluded from future government work. Kindiki has said competent contractors will be rewarded with more contracts, suggesting the administration intends to use procurement as an incentive for performance.

Legally, the threat of prosecution for obtaining money by false pretence is significant. However, such a charge would ordinarily require evidence that a contractor dishonestly obtained public funds with no intention or ability to deliver the contracted work. A delay alone would not automatically amount to fraud; contractual breaches are typically addressed first through remedies such as penalties, termination, performance bonds or dispute-resolution processes.

The practical test will be whether the government follows through with documented enforcement: terminating contracts where justified, publishing the reasons, recovering funds where applicable and allowing affected firms to respond through due process. Without those steps, the warning may remain largely political rhetoric.