Transforming Roads Infrastructure for a Developing Economy
Over the past seven years the government, through the ministry, has invested nearly Sh80 billion(US$ 1 billion) in the construction and rehabilitation of the road network throughout the country. At present, there are 32 major rehabilitation projects worth about Sh57 billion(US$740 million) ongoing with a further 43 projects, worth Sh59billion(US$741million) at different stages of construction. The Sh8.5 billion(US$110.5million) expansion of the Nairobi-Thika Highway is one of the projects that are in progress. The highway is reportedly the busiest in East and Central Africa with an average traffic of 60,000 vehicles per day. The project therefore aims to transform the road into an eight lane super-highway which will considerably ease traffic congestion along the road as well as in the entire city.
Nairobi Bypass
The three Nairobi bypass projects will transform the transport system in the City. Through this project, heavy traffic that currently passes needlessly through the city centre, will find movement eased significantly as the bypasses will revolutionise transportation in Nairobi and its environs. The construction of the Eastern and Northern bypasses has already commenced, having been commissioned by His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki in August 2009, while the Southern Bypass construction is set to commence once funds are available.
The Ministry of Roads has embarked on an ambitious plan to transform Kenya into a glowing example of road infrastructural development.
Northern corridor
With the above mentioned examples alongside others such as the development of the Northern Corridor and the Isiolo-Marsabit-Moyale road, part of the legendary Cape to Cairo Highway. The two are links between Kenya and her neighbours in the region and are key to expanding regional trade, with Kenya being a key player in the region due to the sea route provided by the port of Mombasa.
The proposed upgrading of the Railway network is another infrastructural project that will facilitate transportation in the region and further ease the burden on roads, which currently transports over 90 percent of all cargo in the country. Trade, needless to say is a key ingredient in bilateral and multi lateral relations in which the country is a participant through membership to bodies such as the East African Commission (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa States (COMESA).
The link between a proper road network and economic development is one that has been outlined in different forums before but what is often downplayed is the influence a proper road network has socially. Apart from facilitating human interaction and contact, the road network forms a path through which diverse communities, existing in Kenya, can exchange cultural values and artifacts through trade and intermarriage.
These cultural exchanges have an integral role to play in unifying a country and can contribute, in a situation like in Kenya, in averting human conflict based on tribal misunderstanding. This interaction also helps in reducing stigma and long-held stereotypes which impede cultural cohesion but can be easily circumvented through human exchanges facilitated by a vibrant road network.
The dreams of the country captured in the Kenya Vision 2030 involve bold ambitions that will transform the country into a thriving economic hub in the continent. These dreams can only be realised through the upgrading of our infrastructure, including roads, that can sustain the economy. Through a sustained and deliberate effort to upgrade infrastructure, as is ongoing, Kenya remains on a steady path to achieve these tremendous dream.
