Govt Blasted for Giving Projects to Foreigners as Kenyan Engineers Stay Jobless

The Motorists Association of Kenya has called on the government to prioritise local engineers, graduates, and skilled workers in the construction of major highways, warning that continued reliance on foreign firms was denying Kenyans jobs and economic growth.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the association criticised the government’s preference for awarding road projects to private foreign operators, who they said would continue to toll and profit from infrastructure that should instead serve as a unifying and uplifting national asset.
“Kenya is not poor in capacity. We have skilled graduates in engineering, surveying, architecture, and technical trades who remain jobless, even as our leaders sign away projects to foreign firms. We have the machinery and equipment—bulldozers, graders, rollers, tippers, shovels, and locally available technical expertise. What we lack is the political will to prioritise our own,” the statement read in part.
According to the association, the proposed expansion of the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway (A8) should serve as an opportunity to employ thousands of Kenyans and spur local economic growth.
They argued that a public-led project would create a full ecosystem of employment, ranging from engineers and surveyors to mechanics, welders, and casual labourers.
The association further noted that local businesses would directly benefit from such an approach, with roadside enterprises such as canteens, butcheries, workshops, groceries,and hotels thriving around construction sites.
They faulted the government for “phantom deals” with outsiders, which they said drained resources away from the local economy while leaving graduates and skilled workers disillusioned and jobless.
“This is what national budgets are for: to create jobs, stimulate enterprise, and build national pride. Instead, we are bleeding away resources,” the statement continued.
“The question we must ask ourselves is simple: How poor are we really, if with all our resources, our youth, and our machinery, we cannot even build our own roads?”
They warned that surrendering critical infrastructure projects to foreigners undermined the country’s independence and long-term development goals.
Further, the association challenged the government to rethink its road construction policies, arguing that a Kenya unable to provide jobs and dignity to its citizens had effectively surrendered not just its roads but its future.
On Thursday last week, the association launched a petition to stop the planned expansion of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway that connects Nairobi and Nakuru cities.
The association developed an online website designed to facilitate objections to the government’splan to construct and toll the highway.