Procurement dispute puts Director General Luka Kimeli’s office under scrutiny as High Court petition challenges handling of Masara–Muhuru Bay project
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) is facing scrutiny over the procurement of the Sh3.01 billion Masara–Muhuru Bay Road project, after a High Court petition challenged the tender process and raised questions over the award of the contract.
The project involves upgrading the approximately 26-kilometre Masara–Muhuru Bay (B1) road in Migori County, including a four-kilometre spur to the Tanzania border. KeNHA’s tender documents describe the project as being funded through the Government of Kenya Development Fund.
The dispute centres on Tender No. KeNHA/2915/2025, for which KeNHA issued a notification of intention to award the contract to Lafey Construction Company Limited at a reported contract sum of Sh3.013 billion.
According to a petition filed at the High Court, advocate Anthony Ngatia has questioned the procurement process, including the decision to select Lafey despite a competing bid from Ricons General Services Co. Ltd, which had submitted an evaluated bid of about Sh2.777 billion.
The allegations contained in the petition have not been determined by the court.
KeNHA Cancels Tender, Issues Fresh Bid
The procurement controversy intensified after KeNHA subsequently terminated the earlier tender.
According to court documents reported by The Standard, KeNHA purported to terminate Tender No. KeNHA/2915/2025 on May 7, 2026, before issuing a fresh tender for the same project five days later.
KeNHA subsequently advertised Tender No. KeNHA/2953/2026 on May 12, 2026, inviting bids for the upgrading of the Masara–Muhuru Bay road to bitumen standard. The tender closed on June 10, 2026.
The High Court petition, filed on June 22, 2026, seeks court intervention over what the petitioner describes as irregularities in the procurement process.
Among the issues raised are claims concerning access to procurement records, including evaluation reports, scoring sheets, professional opinions, due diligence reports and committee minutes. The petitioner also alleges that disputed documentation was used in the earlier procurement process.
Kimeli’s Office Drawn Into Dispute
The procurement controversy has placed KeNHA Director General Eng. Luka Kimeli under scrutiny because the tender process and subsequent decisions were undertaken during his tenure at the authority.
KeNHA’s official website currently lists Kimeli as Director General and Board Secretary.
However, the available court and procurement records do not by themselves establish that Kimeli personally engaged in corruption, fraud or other wrongdoing.
Claims circulating about alleged patronage, procurement manipulation, financial misconduct or questions concerning Kimeli’s academic credentials would require independent evidence and should not be presented as established facts.
The central issue currently documented is the procurement dispute surrounding the Masara–Muhuru Bay project and the legal challenge to the process.
KeNHA’s own May 2026 tender notice confirms that the authority moved ahead with a fresh procurement process for the same road project.
The case places renewed attention on transparency, accountability and compliance with public procurement rules in the management of major infrastructure projects, particularly where billions of shillings in public funds are involved.
The court proceedings will determine the legal questions raised in the petition and whether any procurement irregularities occurred.
