6 Kenyan Engineers Behind Major Infrastructure Projects Across Africa
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Kenyan engineers are making their mark on major infrastructure projects across Africa.
They have been involved in constructing roads, airports, electricity grids, among other facilities.
In this article, WoK features six engineers whose work has taken them beyond Kenya’s borders.
1. Maurice Odhiambo Owiti
Maurice Odhiambo is the man behind the development of Safarini Apartments in Mogadishu, Somalia. The project was valued at about ksh 528 million.
He is part of Spentech Engineering Limited, a company that has been involved in the construction of numerous infrastructure projects across seven African countries.
It has undertaken the construction of roads, commercial buildings, and water projects in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Angola, and Mozambique.
Owiti founded Spentech in 2004.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Strategic Management.
2. Kevin Kanina Kariuki
Dr Kevin Kanina Kariuki is credited with the development of Uganda’s 250-megawatt Bujagali Hydropower Project on the River Nile, which is valued at approximately $902 million.
The project was commissioned in 2012 and generates electricity for Uganda’s national grid.
He has also been involved in the construction of the $650 million Ruzizi III Hydropower Project.
The project was designed to supply electricity to Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Additionally, he was also part of the team that developed the 17,000-kilometre SEACOM submarine fibre-optic cable, which connects eastern and southern Africa.
Kariuki studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Nairobi. He holds a master’s degree and a PhD from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in Britain.
3. John Roy Akumu
John Roy Akumu is a Kenyan civil engineer who was involved in the rehabilitation of Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The airport serves as Somalia’s principal international aviation gateway.
Akumu has also worked as an assistant engineer at the Kenya Urban Roads Authority, where he was involved in the construction of several roads in Eldas, Wajir County.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.
In 2023, he was selected for the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which allowed him to join the 2023–2024 cohort under the Public Management programme.
4. David K. Kirop
Eng David K. Kirop is the co-founder of MIEEP Consulting Limited, which was involved in the construction of Nyiragongo Cement factory in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He has also been involved in the construction of cement storage facilities for Uganda’s National Cement.
Kiprop, who is a member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya, has also been a consultant for the construction of several proposed cement factories in Burundi.
Some of his previous clients include Bamburi Cement, National Cement, Tororo Cement and Cimerwa.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Supply Chain Management.
5. Eng. Joshua Kinoti
Eng. J. Kinoti has been involved in the construction of the 37-kilometre Ntungamo–Mirama Hills Road in Uganda.
The road connects Ntungamo with Mirama Hills, near Uganda’s border with Rwanda.
Kinoti is a director at Kinconsult Associates Limited, a civil and structural engineering consultancy company that was established in 2000.
The company operates in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Locally, Kinoti was involved in the construction of the Ewaso N’giro River Bridge and technical auditing of Nairobi’s Outer Ring Road.
6. Stephen Owino Oduor
Eng. Stephen Owino Oduor was involved in the development of the Manonga–Wembere Basin Irrigation Development Programme in Tanzania.
The assignment involved engineering planning and design for irrigation development covering up to 35,000 hectares.
Working through Royal Associates Consulting Engineers, Oduor prepared designs for irrigation schemes involving dams, canals, diversion weirs, and water pipelines.
In 2026, he was also involved in planning another irrigation project covering up to 20,000 hectares in Namibia.
Additionally, he has been involved in water infrastructure engineering work in Zambia.
Owino studied Environmental and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Nairobi between 2008 and 2013.
