The Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) at the weekend handed over Sh.86 million worth of projects to Kwale County government.
KeNHA built a Sh.40 million market at Samburu, another Sh.31 million market in Mackinnon and Sh.12 million water project at Maji ya Chumvi area.
“Today, we hand over two ultra-modern markets; one at Meli Kubwa in Mackinon and another one in Samburu to the Kwale County Government for operationalization,” said KeNHA Director General, Eng. Peter Mundinia on Sunday.
Speaking during the handover ceremony at Samburu, Eng. Mundinia said the Samburu market is worth Sh.40 million and the Meli Kubwa market is Sh.31 million.
“Besides the markets, we have also provided boreholes and three water kiosks along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway project route. Each water kiosk has been fitted with a 5,000 liters capacity water tank, a small room, piping and connection to the main water supply all worth Sh. 12 million,” he said.
Mundinia said KeNHA has also constructed six off-street truck parking facilities at Samburu, Mackinon and Taru to enhance the road safety and to avoid drivers parking along the road.
According to Mundinia, through the financing of the national government and the World Bank, the rehabilitation of the Bachuma Gate to Maji Ya Chumvi section of the Nairobi- Mombasa Highway cost of Sh.4.9 billion.
He said the contract for the 53.4 kilometres road, which starts at the Bachuma Gate entrance and ending at the Tsavo East National Park and terminating just 100m before the Maji ya Chumvi River Bridge, was signed in November 2014.
“The road is also complete and is already in use. I am certain that its improvement is making a difference in the Northern Transport Corridor Route connecting the port of Mombasa to the rest of the country and other East and Central African countries,” he said.
The KeNHA Board Chairperson, Eng. Erastus Mwongera, said the Bachuma Gate-Maji ya Chumvi Road Project, through which the two markets are constructed, is a Vision 2030 Project.
“It is a section of the Northern Transport Corridor, providing passage to about 90 per cent of cargo destined to neighbouring countries. We have been improving the entire Corridor in Sections, all the way from Mombasa to Malaba so as to reduce journey times and improve efficiency,” said Mwongera.
He said to complement this efficiency on the road network they have also invested in virtual weight technology for axle load and gross vehicle weighing.
“Some ten Virtual Weigh Bridge stations have been strategically installed on major road corridors, to capture axle and gross weights as vehicles are in motion and generate tickets automatically,” he said.
He added that the static weighbridges have also been modernized and installed with weigh in motion scales, cutting the times previously taken at weighbridges by more than half.
Mwongera said other projects they are undertaking in the Coast region include construction of the second and third phases of Dongo Kundu Bypass, Mombasa-Kwa Jomvu, Kwa Jomvu-Mariakani and Garsen-Witu-Lamu roads.
By Hussein Abdullahi
