Construction on Kenya-Tanzania highway to start next year

Construction work on the Kenya-Tanzania Highway is set to commence early next year, according to an African Development Bank (AfDB) official.

The $751.3m Malindi-Bagamoyo coastal highway will stretch 445km and connect the Kenyan town of Malindi to Bagamoyo in Tanzania.

It will begin in Malindi and pass through Mombasa and Lunga Lunga in Kenya, before crossing into Tanzania and joining the towns of Pangani, Saadani and Bagamoyo.

The transnational highway project will see approximately 250km of the Malindi-Lunga Lunga road rehabilitated and a 175km stretch between Tanga and Bagamoyo upgraded to bitumen standard.

AfDB East Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office director general Gabriel Negatu told Xinhua that the lender will provide 70% of the project’s financing, with the Kenyan and Tanzanian authorities making up the remaining 30%.

Negatu said: “We are prioritising the Malindi to Bagamoyo transnational highway because it will boost inter-regional trade.”

Negatu added that the Kenya-Tanzania Highway is likely to ease cargo movement between Kenya’s port of Mombasa and Tanzania’s Bagamoyo port, boosting trade along the route.

The AfDB official told the news agency that the road project has faced delays for the past two years and will take around three years to complete.

Tanzania has already concluded its design and environmental assessments for its portion of the project.

The construction of the Arusha-Namanga-Athi River road project was also funded by the AfDB and the bank is currently funding the Arusha-Holili and Taveta-Voi roads.