NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 15 – President William Ruto has challenged opposition leaders over their interpretation of a World Bank report that raises concerns about corruption and procurement weaknesses in the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), arguing that the project was undertaken under a previous administration.
Speaking in Narok, Ruto accused opposition politicians of selectively quoting the report while questioning their own possible links to the procurement dealings surrounding the railway.
“I have heard some leaders saying that the World Bank report said there was some corruption in procurement in government. What they are not saying is that the SGR was built under a different regime,” Ruto said.
“It could be that part of the money sponsoring your campaigns are proceeds of the SGR tenders. Don’t read part of the report and give us a lecture. Read the whole report,” he added.
The President’s remarks come days after the World Bank released its November 2026 Kenya Economic Update, which identified governance weaknesses in public procurement and cited the SGR as an example of how non-competitive contracting and questionable land compensation practices can increase infrastructure costs.
The report estimates that Kenya could have saved up to US$900 million (Sh117 billion) in initial construction costs had the Mombasa-Nairobi railway been delivered at the same cost per kilometer as Tanzania’s Dar es…
