Ikuje Garre, iteremke Modogashe! What are the facts in Ruto's claimed road project?
As some Kenyans, mostly the youth, criticise Ruto for making yet another promise, which they doubt he will keep, others have printed t-shirts with illustrations of that stretch of road, complete with the towns as mentioned by the President in his speech in the rally in Mandera.
When President William Ruto recently castigated a section of Kenyans whom he accused of mocking him over his promise to construct the 750km Isiolo-Mandera Road in Northern Kenya, little did he know that he was opening doors to a flurry of scrutiny with respect to the status of the road project.
Ruto's administration critic and lawyer Willis Otieno for instance said the project the president is "bragging" about is sponsored by World Bank and should not be construed as the government's sole initiative.
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"The Isiolo-Mandera Road is a World Bank-funded project, a long-standing initiative that predates your regime, having commenced in 2020. Cease this brazen, self-aggrandising deception, your chest-thumping over a project you neither conceived nor financed is as disingenuous as it is pathetic," said Otieno.
According to the politician, the audacity of the president to masquerade as the architect of this development is an insult to the intelligence of any discerning observer.
Two days ago, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) confirmed receiving World Bank funding for the expansion of the Isiolo-Mandera Road, which is expected to be completed by 2029.
According to a notice issued via the government publication MyGov, KeNHA is set to undertake the expansion of the road that traverses in a north-easterly direction from Isiolo Town (in Isiolo County) through Meru County, Wajir County, and Mandera County.
World Bank documents seen by The Eastleigh Voice indicate the project is to be implemented in parts, with the last funding for the project expected in 2029.
According to the documents, Kenya is expected to receive a credit of $750 million about Sh96.75 billion, in the current exchange rates from the International Development Association (IDA).
The funding is part of the Project Development Objective (PDO) of the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project (HoAGDP). This year, the country was set to receive approximately Sh19.35 billion (USD 150 million) for the project.
"The Government of the Republic of Kenya has received financing from the World Bank towards the cost of the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services," noted KeNHA.
The project seeks to promote connectivity between Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, improve the movement of people and goods, and strengthen digital connectivity and access to social services for communities at designated locations along the targeted sections of the Isiolo-Mandera Regional Road Corridor.
According to KeNHA, this will be achieved by upgrading the existing road to bitumen standards, thereby increasing transport efficiency.
Barabara itoke Ramu, Ikuje Garre, iteremke Modogashe...
— Gerald Bitok (@geraldbitok) February 20, 2025
President @WilliamsRuto speaks on his commitment to deliver the now VERY FAMOUS 750 Kilometer Isiolo-Mandera road. pic.twitter.com/WDR1BfE1mC
The project is expected to facilitate trade and development along the Isiolo-Wajir-Mandera part of the Mombasa-Garissa-Wajir-Mandera-Mogadishu road corridor, as well as connecting the area with information and communication technologies.
The President says his administration is committed to delivering the project in due course. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has been more specific, saying the road will be complete in under 2 and a half years.
President Ruto's visit to Mandera County in the North Eastern region was used to make several promises to locals, among them a 750km stretch of road from Mandera to Isiolo that has become the butt of many jokes online, given an increasingly engaged youth in national matters.
"I was in Northern Kenya, and I did announce a major road artery that will be constructed from Isiolo through Wajir, Mandera, and many people think it is a joke. In this country, sometimes we take matters of life and death as if it is a joke," Ruto said on Wednesday.
The Head of State's announcement of that road project, and his mastery of the route it will follow, has largely informed the debate around it; that and a sense of cynicism.
"Tutatengeneza barabara itoke Mandera, ikuje Ramu, ikuje Garre, ikuje El-wak, ikuje Kobo, ikuje pale Kotulo, ikuje Tarbat, ipitie hapa Wajir, iende Samatan, iteremke Modogashe, ifike Isiolo, iende Nairobi," Ruto said during the visit.
Social media has since experienced the makings of an online storm as the President's promise has been twisted into all manner of memes and videos, going viral, especially on TikTok.
As some Kenyans, mostly the youth, criticise Ruto for making yet another promise, which they doubt he will keep, others have printed t-shirts with illustrations of that stretch of road, complete with the towns as mentioned by the President in his speech in the rally in Mandera.
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