Kenol-Sagana-Marua highway to be ready by December

The Ksh 16.7 Billion Kenol-Sagana-Marua will be ready for motorists use by December 2022, Transport CS Eng. James Macharia has said.

CS Macharia spoke during inspection tour of the project in which he was accompanied by Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, the President of The African Development Bank.

The CS said the road will be completed two years ahead of scheduled adding that the 84 Kilometer long dual carriageway will form an important part of connecting the Northern Corridor.

“This road forms an important part of the Nairobi–Kenol–Marua-Isiolo transport corridor, which connects the Northern Corridor (Mombasa-Malaba) to the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor, or LAPSSET. The LAPSSET Corridor links Lamu port to South Sudan and Ethiopia through Isiolo / Northern Kenya,” He said.

CS Macharia said the Nairobi–Isiolo corridor is a major transport artery in supporting trade between Kenya and Ethiopia and also the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea).

“Most importantly, the expanded Kenol-Sagana-Marua highway will enhance linkages between Northern/Eastern Kenya and the Central and Southern parts of the country,” He said.

He said the Kenol-Sagana-Marua road is also an international trunk road that forms part of the “Great North Road/Trans African Highway No. 4” from Cairo in Egypt through Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Dodoma, Lusaka and Gaborone to Cape Town in South Africa.

“The 84km-long section between Kenol and Marua has been a major bottleneck on the corridor due to high traffic volumes and frequent road accidents, which result in long travel times and avoidable casualties. It is therefore necessary to upgrade this section to facilitate smooth movement and to make it safer for road users,” He said.