MANDERA —A journalist from Mandera North has formally petitioned the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) seeking full disclosure on the procurement and implementation of three road maintenance projects in the constituency.
Abdinasir Bulle Mohamed, a journalist by training and resident of Mandera North, in a letter dated and officially received by KeRRA, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman), is demanding access to public records relating to three tenders advertised by KeRRA Mandera Region for the 2025/2026 financial year.
The projects in question are:
1. Saqira-Olla Road – Tender No. KeRRA/08/MDR/39/2025/2026-101
2. Jikow-Lanqura Road – Tender No. KeRRA/08/MDR/39/2025/2026-099
3. Godfa-Gurdubo Road – Tender No. KeRRA/08/MDR/39/2025/2026-098
In his request, Mohamed says the move is driven by public interest, transparency, and the need to ensure prudent use of public resources on projects that directly serve the people of Mandera North.
He is seeking comprehensive information spanning the entire project cycle — from procurement to payment. Among the records requested are the total number of bidders per tender, tender opening registers, names of successful bidders, notification of awards, contract agreements, tender evaluation reports, and professional opinions that led to the awards.
The journalist is also questioning the technical justification of the projects. He has asked KeRRA to provide design reports, site inspection reports, road condition assessments, survey reports, and engineers’ estimates used to prepare the Bills of Quantities (BOQs).
Specifically, he wants clarification on whether each road was assessed to require approximately 20 kilometers of maintenance, the methodology used to determine lengths and quantities, and the technical basis for including Heavy Bush Clearing across all three projects — with quantities listed as 228,000 m² for Saqira-Olla, 144,000 m² for Jikow-Lanqura, and 120,000 m² for Godfa-Gurdubo.
He has further sought details on the inclusion of Heavy Grading without watering or compaction, gravel patching quantities, whether independent technical verification of the BOQs was done, and whether pre-tender site visits were conducted.
On local content and labour, Mohamed is requesting data on the number of local persons engaged in the bush-clearing component, their rates, payment records, and attendance sheets — with provision for anonymized data where personal information is legally protected.
On financial accountability, he is demanding the approved contract sums, amounts certified and paid to date, dates of all payments, Interim Payment Certificates, and any variations or additional payments approved.
Mohamed emphasized that his request is not intended to prejudge or accuse any officer or contractor, but to establish whether the procurement and implementation were done transparently, competitively, and with value for money.
He anchors his request on Article 35 of the Constitution of Kenya which guarantees the right of access to information, the Access to Information Act, 2016, Article 227 on fair and transparent procurement, and Article 201 on openness and accountability in public finance.
He has given KeRRA 14 days to provide the information or give a written explanation for any records that cannot be lawfully disclosed.
He notes that failure to respond will compel him to seek intervention from the Commission on Administrative Justice, the EACC, and other oversight institutions, through his legal counsel Mr. Wilberforce Akello, who has been copied in the letter.
The three oversight bodies have since stamped the letters as received.
