Nairobi — A contract of Sh62 billion Has been signed between The Kenya National Highways Authority and South Africa based Company-Five Group Construction Proprietary Limited for the construction of the Lamu-Garissa-Isiolo Road which is an important component of the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor Project or better known as LAPSSET Project.
The 530 km road will help develop 10 towns that are along the corridor as well as ease transport of cargo from the Lamu Port. Quoting a government source “We are achieving a very key milestone to basically kick off the process of construction of the Lamu -Garissa- Isiolo Road and that it is no longer a pipe dream. Indeed now we are starting the implementation of the development of that corridor, we are opening that corridor of northern Kenya completely that means the growth of this country would be massively enhanced,”
The project once completed will improve access and inter-connectivity between Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda and this project is expected to commence next June and will be opened for operation after four years.
Lamu Road Consortium (LRC) will operate the road operations and maintenance for a period of 25 years while maintaining high performance standards equivalent to a motorway to enhance throughput of transit vehicle and also reduce vehicle operating cost.
The Kenyan Transport ministry has said that construction of the first section of the Lapsset project will begin by the mid of next year. The first section of the transport corridor is the 530km Lamu-Garissa-Isiolo Highway.
Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said that the project’s implementing agency, had entered into an agreement with Lamu Road Consortium comprising Group Five Proprietary Ltd, a South African consortium, and Development Bank of Southern Africa through a public-private partnership to fund the project at a cost of Sh62 billion as the initial capital investment.
Group Five CEO Thambo Mosai said that the partnership was a show of confidence in Kenya and promised to involve local sub-contractors and labourers throughout the build. “We are achieving a very key milestone to basically kick off the process of construction of the Lamu -Garissa- Isiolo Road and that it is no longer a pipe dream. Indeed now we are starting the implementation of the development of that corridor, we are opening that corridor of northern Kenya completely that means the growth of this country would be massively enhanced,” he said.
The project is expected to commence next June and will be opened for operation after four years.
