Kenya is working on plans to develop a continuous expressway network linking the Port of Mombasa to the Ugandan border as the government turns to public-private partnerships to expand the country’s transport infrastructure.
The proposed network would bring together the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway, the existing Nairobi Expressway, the planned Rironi-Mau Summit Highway and the Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba road.
The plan was outlined on Friday by the Director General of the Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships, Kefa Seda, who said the projects are being pursued as part of a wider strategy to improve the Northern Corridor.
If implemented, the network would create a high-capacity road connection stretching from Mombasa through Nairobi and western Kenya to Malaba, one of the country’s main border points with Uganda.
Focus on movement of cargo
According to Seda, the government has now stopped considering the roads as individual projects but is rather developing them within one integrated transport network.
This will enhance connectivity between the Port of Mombasa, the production centers, the logistics centers and markets in Kenya and the broader region.
“The value of these investments will be measured by how effectively goods flow from the port to the markets, the ability of our infrastructure to handle increasing volumes of trade and the capacity of the network to support regional value chains,” Seda said.
The proposed Rironi-Mau Summit Highway will be a link between Nairobi and western Kenya and is expected to enhance connectivity in that segment of the Northern Corridor upon development.
Mau Summit-Malaba road
The government is also preparing the Mau Summit-Eldoret-Malaba Highway, which would provide the main road connection towards the Ugandan border.
As per the PPP Directorate, feasibility studies and other preparatory activities for the project have been initiated under the PPP structure.
Private capital and technical know-how will be sought by the government in order to undertake the development of the road.
The Malaba route assumes special significance in respect of regional trade since heavy volumes of cargo traveling from the Port of Mombasa to Uganda have to pass via this border town. The Northern Corridor has connectivity with other destinations in East and Central Africa as well.
Modernization of ports included in the plans
These road projects will be pursued in conjunction with plans to modernize the Ports of Mombasa and Lamu.
The PPP Directorate is expected to package the various projects in a way that can attract private investors while helping to improve cargo movement and reduce delays along the transport corridor.
If the projects move forward as planned, Kenya would have a more connected high-capacity road network linking its main port to major inland markets and the Ugandan border.
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