Kenya and Ethiopia seal border pact
Aliens among other people travelling from Moyale to Nairobi undergoing verification at a roadblock at Archers Post. A one-stop post will be set up in Moyale on the border with Ethiopia to speed up clearance of people and goods on either side. PHOTO/Suleiman Mbatiah
What you need to know:
- In a joint communication issued in Addis Ababa, the two governments launched the Joint Transport Corridor Commission of ministers charged with timely execution of the common border projects.
- This is expected to create seamless transport connectivity between the two countries.
A one-stop border post will be set up in Moyale on the boundary with Ethiopia to speed up clearance of people and goods on either side.
This follows the signing of a bilateral agreement between Kenya and Ethiopia last week by Transport ministry officials.
The plan seeks to enhance services at the border crossing, support trade, enhance immigration and cut down transit time.
In a joint communication issued in Addis Ababa, the two governments launched the Joint Transport Corridor Commission of ministers charged with timely execution of the common border projects.
This is expected to create seamless transport connectivity between the two countries.
Top on the agenda will be the speeding up of implementation of the Mombasa-Nairobi-Isiolo-Moyale-Addis Ababa road transport, and the development of the Lamu-Isiolo-Moyale-Addis Ababa transport corridors, both of which are under the Lapsset project.
The two governments committed themselves to eliminate bottlenecks linked to high cost of transport, transit delays at entry and exit border points, and poor and inadequate infrastructure.
The latest agreement empowers the technical coordination committee to develop ways of mobilising resources to implement the projects.
The Kenyan delegation was led by Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau, while Ethiopia was represented by Transport Minister Workneh Gebeyehu.
BACKGROUND
Long road to integration
In March, 2012, then Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Kenya’s former President Mwai Kibaki and South Sudan President Salva Kiir attended the ground breaking of the Lapsset project.
They signed a bilateral agreement on joint development of the Lamu-Isiolo-Addis Ababa Standard Gauge Railway in March the same year.
In May 2012, Kenya and Ethiopia established a technical corridor coordination committee for the Mombasa-Addis Ababa transport corridor.
