Plans are well underway for the construction of a 256km four-lane Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia expressway project. Recently, the East African Community obtained Sh175.4 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the implementation of the project.
According to a statement from Steven Mlote, deputy secretary general for planning and infrastructure for the EAC, the financing from the African Development Bank would be used to carry out feasibility studies on the 256-kilometer international Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia expressway project.
Implementation of the Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia expressway project
The Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia expressway project is part of upgrades to the Northern Corridor. The latter is a crucial trade route in East Africa that gives landlocked nations like Uganda quicker access to the port of Mombasa.
As part of the project, the 104 km of the existing road that is currently two lanes of single carriageway will be upgraded to two lanes of dual carriageway. This will be part of the proposed intervention in this section. Kisian in Kisumu will be linked to Busia, a border town, along a 104 km, four-lane stretch.
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As part of the project, an 11-kilometer link road between Kisian and Kisumu will also be constructed. Between Jinja and Malaba, another 127 km will be constructed. Additionally, a 20 km section will run along the border to Busia.
The high-speed highway will link to the $1.48 billion Kampala-Jinja expressway. The highway is expected to launch in 2025.
Under the PPP model, a private concessionaire will be acquired for a period of 30 years. It will also include an eight-year construction period. The concession will be based on a design-build finance operate transfer model, with motorists paying a toll to access the Kampala expressway.
It is unclear if the four-lane expressway from Kisumu to Uganda will have tolls.
