Transparency International Kenya (TI-Kenya) has released a new report that highlights significant corruption and governance risks in some of Kenya’s major infrastructure developments, with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) emerging as the highest-risk project assessed.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The report, titled  Corruption Risk Assessment of Infrastructure Projects in Kenya, examines governance structures, procurement processes, and oversight mechanisms in selected public projects using the Infrastructure Corruption Risk Assessment Tool (ICRAT).

Kenyans.co.ke noted that among the projects assessed are the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the Kiambu Civil Servants Housing Scheme, and the Vihiga Affordable Housing Project. According to the findings, the SGR recorded a corruption risk score of 4.49 out of 5.

The Kiambu Civil Servants Housing Scheme was also flagged in the report, scoring 3.24 out of 5, indicating a moderately high corruption risk. The Vihiga Affordable Housing Project was similarly identified as having governance weaknesses that raise concern over accountability in implementation.

📌 What You Need to Know

“This report highlights critical governance gaps that continue to undermine the integrity of infrastructure development in Kenya. The high corruption risks identified in projects like the SGR underscore the need for transparency, accountability, and public participation to be embedded at every stage of infrastructure planning and implementation. Without urgent reforms, we risk losing billions of public resources while failing to deliver meaningful benefits to citizens,” said Sheila Masinde, Executive Director, TI-Kenya.

This indicated very high vulnerability, particularly in relation to transparency gaps, procurement processes, and institutional oversight.

According to the report, major concerns of the SGR pointed to limited transparency in how the project was financed and contracted, as well as key agreements and cost structures that are not easily accessible to the public, while procurement processes are described as opaque, raising questions about value for money and fairness in the selection of contractors.

It also highlighted weak oversight and accountability mechanisms that reduce effective scrutiny during both planning and implementation, while low levels of public participation have limited citizen involvement in one of Kenya’s largest infrastructure investments.

The concerns reflect earlier investigations into SGR land compensation , including the long-running case against former NLC Chairperson Muhammad Swazuri, who has been in court since 2018 over alleged irregular payments.

The case, previously highlighted in audit and media reports, raised questions over a lack of proper valuation and unclear land ownership during compensation for the project.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke