Hartanah Kenyalang secures RM275.3 mln contract for Sibu prison

KUCHING (Jan 30): ACE Market-listed Hartanah Kenyalang Bhd has secured a RM275.3 million design-and-build contract from the Public Works Department for a new prison in Sibu.

Hartanah Kenyalang in a statement on Friday said the 36-month contract will commence on Feb 9, 2026, with completion and handover to the Public Works Department targeted for Feb 8, 2029.

It said the project forms part of the federal government’s prison development programme under Budget 2026, overseen by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which prioritises new construction, facility upgrades and rehabilitation initiatives to address overcrowding nationwide.

The Sibu project is among the specific allocations announced for Sarawak.

Once completed, the modern facility will be able to house up to 1,000 inmates, replacing the existing Sibu Prison built in 1918, which currently accommodates about 450 inmates.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the new prison at an estimated total cost of RM300 million.

Hartanah Kenyalang non-independent executive director and managing director Seah Boon Tiat said the company was appreciative of the opportunity to undertake the project.

He said the new prison would feature modern facilities and equipment aimed at improving living conditions and inmate welfare, while also providing a better working environment for prison officers.

Seah added that the contract represents the largest single project secured by Hartanah Kenyalang in its 12 years of operations in Sarawak’s construction industry.

“The award of this contract signifies a major breakthrough for our company’s design and build team where once again we have proven our capabilities to expand horizontally in the construction of different types of buildings from commercial shophouses and dilapidated schools, to institutional buildings such as the Yayasan
International Secondary Schools, the Sarawak Stadium, the State Archive building and the Sibu Prison,” he said.

According to Seah, the company continues to innovate and adopt new construction methods, supported by the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), to strengthen its design-and-build capabilities and remain competitive.

He further noted that Hartanah Kenyalang recently secured a RM42.8 million contract to build an immigration post and quarters in Serikin, Bau, as well as a RM184.3 million contract to repair and upgrade the Sarawak Stadium.

With the addition of the Sibu Prison project, the group’s unbilled order book has increased sharply from about RM142.5 million as at March 31, 2025, to RM567.7 million as at Jan 30, 2026, the highest level in the company’s operating history.