By TWV Team
A fierce boardroom succession battle is brewing at the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) over who will become the next Director-General (DG) of the powerful state corporation. The position became vacant last week following what insiders describe as a boardroom coup that led to the abrupt resignation of Eng. Kung’u Ndung’u.
His five-year tenure was originally due to end in October 2026. However, some board members argued that the DG’s term runs for three years and that Ndung’u’s term had effectively ended in October 2024. According to this interpretation, his contract should have either been renewed or terminated at that point.
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Others on the board cited a controversial amendment to the Kenya Roads Act, passed in 2021, which extended the tenure of Directors-General of road authorities from three to five years. This, however, was contested on the grounds that the amendment had not come into effect by the time Ndung’u assumed office in October 2021. Another argument raised was that the board ought to have gazetted Ndung’u’s contract afresh under the amended Act.
At KeNHA headquarters, Barabara Plaza, many engineers appear united in the belief that the next DG should be recruited internally, from among KeNHA’s current directors, and on merit. They argue that this would promote a culture of career progression within the authority, ultimately enhancing staff motivation and retention.
Proponents of this view maintain that an internal candidate is already familiar with KeNHA’s institutional culture, values, and operations, which would ensure a smoother transition into the DG role. Moreover, an insider would likely have a deeper understanding of ongoing projects and established relationships with key stakeholders such as the World Bank (WB) and African Development Bank (AfDB), critical in steering a state agency with a large portfolio of donor-funded initiatives.
Engineers currently in charge of various directorates have already begun lobbying for the high-stakes position. The authority, which controls billions of shillings in infrastructure funds, is tasked with implementing key legacy projects under President William Ruto’s administration.
Not to be left behind, government power brokers and politicians are also manoeuvring to install their preferred candidates. At the heart of this political interference lie commercial interests, ethnic alignments, and calculations related to the 2027 general elections.
In this edition, The Weekly Vision profiles top KeNHA engineers believed to be front-runners for the DG position.
KeNHA operates under a four-tier organisational structure. Level One comprises the Executive, namely, the Board of Directors and the Director-General. Below them are the Directors of seven key directorates: Maintenance; Highway Design & Safety (HDS); Public-Private Partnerships (PPP); Development; Planning, Research & Compliance (PRC); Corporate Services; and Audit.
The Board has appointed Eng. Luka Kimeli as acting DG pending the recruitment of a substantive officeholder. Before this, Kimeli served as Infrastructure Secretary at the Ministry of Roads and had also held the position of acting DG at KeRRA for two years. While professionally qualified, he is widely perceived within KeNHA as an outsider, although the law does not preclude the appointment of an external candidate.
Currently, the most experienced engineer within the organisation is Charles Obuon, with 28 years in management. Born in 1972, he has served as Director of PPP since January 2023. Obuon holds a Master of Philosophy in Civil and Structural Engineering (specialising in Water Engineering) and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (Technology and Structural Engineering). He has also served as Director for Planning and Deputy Director of Special Projects. His career includes both government-funded and donor-supported projects involving institutions such as the WB, EU, AfDB, KfW, and EIB.
Another key contender is Eng. Daniel Cherono is currently the Director of Maintenance. Born in 1977, he holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Construction Law, Arbitration and Adjudication, alongside a BSc in Civil Engineering. He has 15 years of experience at KeNHA.
Eng. Henry Gakuru, born in 1972, is the Director for Development and has 12 years of management experience. He holds a Master of Science in Project Management and a BSc in Civil Engineering.
Eng. Ezekiel Fukwo, known for his ambition and strategic networking, has openly expressed interest in leading the agency. Born in 1976, he holds a Master of Arts in Planning and Management and a BSc in Civil Engineering. Since January 2023, he has served as Director of Highway Design and Safety and boasts 20 years of management experience.
On paper, all four “internal” engineers are qualified for the DG position. However, as is often the case with public appointments in Kenya, political, ethnic, and commercial factors are likely to influence the final decision.
Under current law, a DG at a roads agency may serve a maximum of two five-year terms. This was a departure from the earlier provision that allowed two three-year terms, before it was amended during the final days of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration via the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill, 2021. That amendment also reduced the minimum experience requirement from 15 to 10 years. A proposal to open the DG position to non-engineers was rejected during parliamentary debates, keeping the post exclusive to practising engineers.
The 2021 Bill was sponsored by then-National Assembly Transport Committee Chair David Pkosing (Pokot South), who now chairs the Public Investments Committee (PIC) on Commercial Affairs & Energy.
However, a fresh legislative development is underway. National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has tabled the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which seeks to revert to the earlier framework by amending Section 13 of the Kenya Roads Act. The proposed law would limit DGs to a three-year term, renewable once.
In tabling the Bill, Ichung’wah stated:
“The law as it stands contradicts the spirit of performance-based governance… The current provisions of the Kenya Roads Act undoubtedly negate the values of good governance.”
To be continued next week…
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