Foreign Contractor Facing Scrutiny Over Local Jobs at Junction Mall Flyover

A version of this discussion first appeared on the social media platform X by Ignacious.

The recent completion of the Ngong Road-Naivasha Road Flyover has initiated a sector-wide review of how foreign-contracted infrastructure projects benefit local engineering professionals and domestic suppliers.

Spanish engineering firm Centunion delivered the Junction Mall Interchange after roughly 21 months of construction under the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA). The same foreign contractor previously executed the T-Mall flyover along Lang'ata Road in Nairobi.

While the physical structure is complete, local professionals are questioning the actual extent of skills transfer. The core debate examines how many Kenyan graduates and businesses genuinely participated in the economic ecosystem generated by the road project.

Experts argue that infrastructure development extends far beyond the finished concrete. Large construction sites function as temporary economic zones. They should theoretically provide jobs, tangible business opportunities, and direct industrial growth for the host country.

Fresh graduates require site experience to acquire practical skills, although these are difficult to learn in a traditional office environment. A major flyover project lasting up to two years presents an ideal training ground for young professionals seeking to build their capacity in heavy civil works.

The industry discussion highlights five distinct categories of local stakeholders, who should directly benefit from such projects during the construction phase.

1. Engineers. Civil, structural, transport, materials, and geotechnical engineering graduates can gain critical site experience. They learn bridge construction, piling, foundation work, concrete pouring, steel reinforcement, road pavement, traffic management, and quality control.

They can secure employment as site engineers, assistant resident engineers, survey engineers, materials engineers, and safety officers.

2. Quantity surveyors and project managers. These professionals gain direct exposure to measuring works, site valuations, cost control, handling contracts, claims management, and project scheduling.

3. Technicians and artisans. A project of this scale requires a vast technical workforce. Sites need survey technicians, laboratory technicians, machine operators, welders, steel fixers, carpenters, electricians, and plant mechanics. Many of these competencies are highly transferable to future projects.

4. Suppliers and local businesses. Financial resources flow directly into the local economy through cement and steel suppliers. The ecosystem supports aggregate and quarry businesses, fuel suppliers, transporters, accommodation providers, food vendors near the site, and hardware shops.

5. Students and interns. Universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions can utilize ongoing sites for industrial attachments. Students benefit from site visits, academic research, and the opportunity to observe modern construction methods in real-time.

Despite these structured benefits, industry observers are asking critical questions regarding the actual execution of skills transfer policies on the ground. A primary concern is whether local engineers successfully transitioned from assistant roles to project leaders, when Centunion was on site.

There are also inquiries into whether local firms secured meaningful subcontracting opportunities. Professionals are questioning, if Kenyan companies supplied the bulk of the construction materials, or, if procurement heavily favoured foreign supply chains.

Another pressing question is whether graduate workers left the site with formal certifications and measurable experience that improves their long-term employability.

Kenya currently has over 20,000 Graduate Engineers (GE). The country also has more than 1,000 active public projects, driven largely by road construction and the government's Affordable Housing Programme (AHP). However, many young professionals report feeling sidelined in the national job market despite this volume.

Local graduates argue, it is unfair that they are neglected during the hiring process for major state-funded projects. They are advocating for stricter enforcement of local content policies to ensure they earn a livelihood from national infrastructure budgets.

President Ruto recently commissioned the Ngong Road-Naivasha Road facility to ease urban traffic. Following the launch, attention is shifting from the engineering achievement to the socio-economic frameworks governing the thousands of local professionals, who are seeking employment on such projects.