The government is fast-tracking President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Sh1.4 trillion investment legacy projects in the Coast region.
The projects are mainly meant to boost trade and tourism and create jobs.
The National Development Implementation Technical Committee (NDITC), led by its chairperson Karanja Kibicho, who is also the Interior principal secretary, assured Kenyans that all the projects will be delivered on time.
“The port of Mombasa is a very important determinant of the economy of this country, and therefore its efficiency is very important. Sometimes back, there were complaints from the private sector about the turnaround time, cargo clearance, and the time it takes to export goods among other challenges,” said Dr Kibicho, who is on a three-day tour with his counterparts in Kwale, Kilifi and Mombasa to inspect the projects.
Their visit comes barely a week after President Uhuru Kenyatta inspected the new Kipevu oil terminal, a Sh40 billion ($353 million) facility that will allow larger oil vessels to dock at the port. He said his government had undertaken massive development projects in the region to boost its economy.
“That is what development is all about. Soon we will commission all the new link roads in Mombasa. The roads are ready, the Makupa bridge will be ready soon, meaning for many travellers, who have suffered from congestion, this will be a story of the past,” he added.
The Head of State said the link roads will facilitate development, ease the cost of travel and reduce the cost of living.
About 40 principal secretaries are inspecting President Kenyatta’s landmark projects to determine their progress.
"Let's applaud the government. The entire Container Terminal 11 is on reclaimed land. That's a major fete. The President was here last week to inspect (the Kipevu terminal)…," the PS added.
The team is in four groups touring projects in the three counties on Tuesday and Wednesday before holding a joint meeting on Thursday in a Mombasa hotel.
The NDITC will on Thursday hold a meeting with key stakeholders, including the private sector.
Since 2015, the government has invested in infrastructure projects around Mombasa, connecting the port city with Kilifi and Kwale counties, opening up the economy of the region and boosting its prospects in transport and tourism.
Sections of the Mombasa Transport Master Plan road project – which includes the 11km Dongo Kundu phase one, the Mombasa-Jomvu road, and the Likoni pedestrian bridge – have been completed, while Dongo Kundu phases two and three and the Makupa bridge will be completed before March this year.
Locals have started benefiting from the landmark projects with the flow of traffic in and out of Mombasa improving significantly thanks to Mombasa’s Southern Bypass, a key link for Moi International Airport and Standard Gauge Railway users.
Port users have also greatly benefited from the bypass, which has reduced truck turnaround time compared with the old Kipevu Road, which was a nightmare because of perennial traffic jams.
Once the Dongo Kundu project is completed this year, it will serve as an alternative route connecting the South Coast to the Mombasa mainland without using the Likoni channel ferries, which will be a relief to travellers.
The government is also funding an economic zone at Dongo Kundu, affirming that the first berth of a new free port will be built soon.
Some of the projects underway are the Sh4.5 billion, 450-metre Makupa Causeway bridge that was commissioned by President Kenyatta last month.
The contractor, China Communications Construction Company Ltd, moved to the site this week. The bridge will link three main roads connecting the island and the mainland.
Blocked by the current causeway
Once completed, it will help to restore the ecosystem in the area, including the free flow of water and marine life.
Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) Coast regional director Eric Wambua, in an earlier interview, said the project would be completed on time as there were no challenges such as compensation compared with similar projects.
“The contractor is already on site and we are giving him any support he needs to ensure he completes the project on time. The bridge will play a key role as it will improve free flow of sea water which was blocked by the current causeway,” he said then.
The Makupa Causeway, built in 1929 by the British colonial government, was a centre of controversy because of the harm it caused to the ecosystem, including loss of fish and mangroves.
The causeway separates the waters that surround the Mombasa island into Tudor Creek to the east and Port Reitz Creek to the west, hindering the free movement of water and marine life.
Kenha says once the four-lane bridge is completed in January 2022, the causeway will be demolished.
In the past two years, Kenha has completed several road projects in Mombasa County, easing traffic jams mostly in its western side, and construction has begun on the planned 30km dual carriageway from Mombasa to Mariakani, which will reduce truck traffic to and from the port.
