Kenya, East Africa | THE BLACK EXAMINER | The African Development Bank (AfDB), through its New Partnership for Africa’s Development and Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD-IPPF), has granted $1.4 million to the East African Community (EAC) for the feasibility study of the Kenya-Uganda Expressway Project. This project connects the two nations from Kisumu to Kisian, Busitema, and Busia and is part of the Northern Corridor, running from Mombasa to Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda through the port of Mombasa. It serves as the primary corridor for transporting cargo from Indian Ocean ports to the five landlocked EAC Partner States.
Currently, the road sections comprising the project are congested two-lane single-carriageway bitumen sections, leading to increased travel times, higher vehicle operating costs, and increased business expenses. The feasibility study’s objective is to assess the economic viability of upgrading these multinational road sections to expressway standards. The project is a priority for the Partner States and is expected to contribute to the development of essential economic infrastructure for the region.
During the launch of the feasibility study, the EAC Deputy Secretary General (DSG) for Infrastructure, Productive, Social, and Political sectors, Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, expressed gratitude to AfDB for their support in preparing the Multinational Kenya/Uganda Expressway. He highlighted the study’s potential to stimulate the EAC region’s economy and development.
Ariik emphasized that the feasibility study will result in a smart corridor that incorporates digital technology and addresses the social and economic needs of EAC citizens. He noted that it will revolutionize the movement of goods and services between Nairobi and Kampala and beyond.
Ariik commended AfDB’s continuous support through its NEPAD-IPPF facility for EAC integration since 2004. He mentioned that up to 80% of projects fail to proceed due to inadequate preparation, underscoring the importance of quality feasibility studies in attracting public and private sector financing.
The DSG informed the Bank that the EAC plans to organize the 5th Retreat of Heads of State to discuss infrastructure development and financing, where regional priority projects will be showcased.
Epifanio Carvarlho de Melo, the AfDB Acting Manager for Infrastructure and Partnerships Division, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to collaborating with the EAC to ensure the success of transformative projects that will benefit the region’s economy.
