The US$ 9m one-stop border post one-stop border post in Kenya’s Northern town of Moyale is set to be complete by May this year and it is expected to boost the trade relations between Kenya and Ethiopia.
Kenya National Highways Authority Director General Peter Mundinia confirmed the reports and said that its completion would be a major boost for the two countries and enable seamless clearance of goods and people across the borders. Further, the border post will complement construction of Isiolo – Moyale Development Corridor which forms part of the strategic transport corridor linking Mombasa Port to Addis Ababa.
The development which was funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) is a trade facilitation project under the Mombasa-Nairobi-Addis Ababa Road Corridor project that was signed as a bilateral agreement in 2011.
The Isiolo-Moyale border post will complement construction of Isiolo – Moyale Development Corridor which forms part of the strategic transport corridor linking Mombasa Port to Addis Ababa.
For a long time the 503km road has been in very poor condition since 2008, making transport and hence stifling trade between the two countries a huge problem. Currently, 461km of the road is done with the remaining 42km set for completion by September this year.
The mega road is part of the Lamu-Port-South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor funded by the government and the European Union at a cost of US$ 135m.
The border post is eventually anticipated to strengthen the key functions between the Kenya and Ethiopia under one roof. It will then harmonize border control regulations and procedures enabling speedy and effective border control mechanisms.
The Ministry of Transport also pointed out that the project will help reduce transit time for goods across the common border, including enhancing immigration processes.
