The government has announced plans to upgrade the busy Nakuru–Kisumu–Busia road into a four-lane highway in a move aimed at easing transport along the key route.
The National Treasury announced plans to expand the road to make it a four-lane highway. This will involve expanding the 243 kilometres of road from Mau Summit to Kisumu and then to Malaba. This upgrade will cost around KSh130 billion.
The construction will be carried out through a partnership between the government and private investors. This means that motorists will have to pay a fee to use the road once complete. This means that there will be tolls on the road once complete.
The construction is set to be carried out by the Kenya National Highways Authority in collaboration with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The plan is still in the feasibility study stage where experts are examining the possibilities of constructing the road.
This road is significant in the sense that it links our country with other countries such as Uganda and the DRC. The road is part of the African highway network.
Every day, thousands of trucks pass through the road transporting goods from Mombasa port to the inland countries. However, the road has been experiencing serious problems such as traffic jams and bad road conditions, which have hindered the smooth movement of vehicles along the road.
The long distance trucks have taken more than 100 hours to move from Mombasa to Malaba border. This is longer than the government’s target time for driving on the road.
The road has experienced many accidents in recent years. This has raised safety concerns for users of the road.
Once complete, the new four-lane road will reduce traffic on the road, make driving faster, and make the road safe for users.
The road will be completed in a way that connects easily to the ongoing construction of the Rironi Mau Summit road. This road is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 2027.
Once complete, the road will improve the movement of goods and people on the road and will increase trade activities in the region.