Coast transport set for a Sh100bn road projects boost
Deputy President William Ruto (second left) with Infrastructure Principal Secretary John Mosonik (third left) during the inspection of a road in Kilifi County on Sunday. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Infrastructure Principal Secretary John Mosonik said the roadworks are under way in Mombasa, Kilifi, Taita-Taveta, Kwale, Tana River and Lamu counties.
- In Mombasa County alone, Infrastructure ministry was spending Sh30 billion in constructing roads, including the key Miritini-Kipevu stretch.
- The construction of the road is part of the implementation of phase one of the Dongo Kundu Bypass project that will cost Sh11 billion.
- The PS said in Taita-Taveta County, work on the Sh7 billion Mwatate-Taveta road was 80 per cent complete.
Key road projects are being implemented across the Coast at a cost of Sh100 billion to boost the transportation of cargo and passengers in the region.
Infrastructure Principal Secretary John Mosonik said the roadworks are under way in Mombasa, Kilifi, Taita-Taveta, Kwale, Tana River and Lamu counties.
He said some of the projects are nearing completion, while construction had begun in other cases. He added that there are other projects that will begin in the coming months.
According to the PS, in Mombasa County alone, the ministry was spending Sh30 billion in constructing roads, including the key Miritini-Kipevu stretch.
The construction of the road is part of the implementation of phase one of the Dongo Kundu Bypass project that will cost Sh11 billion.
Mr Mosonik said the construction of the 16-kilometre road from Miritini to Kipevu linking the port to the Mombasa-Nairobi highway will be completed in July next year. He said it would help address traffic congestion between Miritini and Changamwe.
“The road will boost transportation of cargo from the port of Mombasa to Nairobi and neighbouring countries — Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.
Mr Mosonik said the government was holding talks with the Japanese Government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, in a bid to secure funding for the implementation of phase two of the Dongo Kundu Bypass project.
The PS said in Taita-Taveta County, work on the Sh7 billion Mwatate-Taveta road was 80 per cent complete.
BOOST TRANSPORT
In an interview with the Nation in Mombasa on Saturday, Mr Mosonik said the construction of the 110-kilometre road is expected to be complete in March next year, adding that it would boost transport between Taita-Taveta County and Tanzania.
Mr Mosonik said the ministry is also rehabilitating the Mwatate-Wundanyi road at a cost of Sh1.2 billion, as well as constructing a new 3-kilometre stretch connecting to the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology’s Voi Campus.
Turning to Kilifi County, Mr Mosonik said the construction of the new Kaloleni-Mavueni road would be completed next month. He said the ministry was also repairing the Mariakani-Kaloleni road at a cost of Sh270 million.
The PS said the ministry had started building a new 45-kilometre road from Mariakani to Bamba, and a 5-kilometre stretch in Kilifi Town to the tune of Sh1.5 billion.
He added that the construction of a new 110-kilometre road from Malindi to Sala Gate, at a cost of Sh3.4 billion, was under way.
The ministry was also repairing the Ukunda-Lungalunga road in Kwale County at a cost of Sh250 million, according to Mr Mosonik. The work is expected to be completed in March next year.
