Nairobi — The government has announced plans to upgrade the Kyuso-Tseikuru Road in Kitui County, a key route leading to Tseikuru, the rural home of Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
The announcement comes days after President William Ruto criticized the road as dusty and neglected, prompting a political spat with the former Vice President.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) published a tender notice on Tuesday, December 23, inviting bids for the rehabilitation and strengthening of the road to durable bitumen standards.
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According to the notice, the pre-tender site visit is scheduled for January 15, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Kandwia Shopping Centre, while the tender submission and closing will take place on February 5, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the KeNHA Headquarters in Nairobi.
"The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) hereby invites bids from eligible contractors for tenders to be funded through the Development Votes. There shall be a mandatory pre-tender site visit as specified," the authority said.
Interested bidders can obtain complete tender documents from the KeNHA website, the Public Procurement Information Portal, or the KeNHA Supply Chain Management Department upon payment of a non-refundable fee of KSh1,000.
The tender, listed under KeNHA/2924/2025, also includes the strengthening of the Kandwia-Kyuso Road. KeNHA advised contractors to regularly check the authority's website for clarifications or addenda before the submission date.
The development comes amid heightened political tension between President Ruto and Kalonzo Musyoka. During a visit to Turkana County, President Ruto criticized Kalonzo for the state of the road to his Tseikuru home and questioned the former Vice President's ability to deliver development.
"He (Kalonzo) tried to respond to me and said he was the one who launched the road from Kibwezi to Bondoni. Look for the idiots to deceive. Fools are no longer in Kenya. You didn't build that road. It's Uhuru Kenyatta and I. We have the facts. We have the evidence. The mind to build a road, I am afraid, will take you a while," President Ruto said.
Ruto further added, "If you can't build your own road, you will build someone else's. In 40 years you haven't built a road to your own. How many hundred years do you need to build a road for other Kenyans? Wouldn't it take 1000 years?"
Musyoka hit back, saying Ruto had unfairly targeted him during a church service instead of focusing on worship. The former Vice President clarified that his political career spans 40 years, not 50 as claimed by Ruto.
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"President William Ruto was in Kiambu, and instead of going to worship, he made me a subject and attacked me. He claimed that where I come from, there is no road, yet I have been in leadership for 40 years. That means 40 years of serious experience," he said.
The Former Vice President also stated that the construction of the road through Tseikuru was launched during his tenure as Vice President with a Chinese contractor, Sinohydro.
"Sinohydro is a Chinese contractor whom I commissioned to construct the road from Kibwezi-Mutomo-Kitui-Mwingi-Tseikuru-Maua, and this road connects Ethiopia with Mombasa," Musyoka explained.
