As the new Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure, Michael Kamau has the task of overseeing the planned expansion and modernisation of Kenya’s road network.
It is a ministry that has got close attention from the Kibaki administration in the past 10 years, attracting a budget allocation of Sh268.1 billion in the 2012-2013 expenditure estimates.
He provides continuity, having been the PS for Roads since 2007 and overseeing big public roads projects in the country under the Mwai Kibaki government, such as the construction of Thika Superhighway.
The 55-year-old father of two has a civil engineering degree from the University of Nairobi and a masters degree in Engineering from University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK.
He is a consultant for Engineers Board of Kenya, a fellow of the Kenya Institute of Management, and also a fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Kenya.
He will have in his docket some of the biggest projects in the country with a large budgetary allocation such as the LAPPSET project which incorporates roads, Lamu port, and the establishment of resort cities along the transport corridor.
It also falls on Mr Kamau to bring back sanity in the chaotic public transport sector, which is in need of regulation, to reduce carnage caused by frequent accidents.
The government particularly faces a delicate balancing act over how to control the matatu industry without disrupting the vital sector. President Uhuru Kenyatta has outlined roads and transport as key economic pillars as the country moves towards achieving Vision 2030.
“We must deliver on Vision 2030, and continue to build our nation’s infrastructure, our roads, railways, houses, ports, schools and hospitals. Through projects such as LAPPSET we will drive economic growth, job creation and deepen our links with our regional partners,” said the President in his opening address to Parliament.
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