It is estimated to cost Kenyans, Sh.60 million per kilometre to apply murram on a road linking Lamu and Garissa counties.

On April 20, Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) signed a deal with China Communication Construction Company Ltd to construct the Lamu-Ijara-Garissa road.

State-owned China Communications Development Firm (CCCC), in a three way partnership with engineering agency Territorial Works Ltd, was awarded a Sh27.29 billion tender to improve the Lamu-Ijara-Garissa street to an all-weather gravel street.

The excessive price of the venture, which is supposed to help the Lapsset hall, comes as issues rise concerning the excessive price of street initiatives.

The murram street networks will cover a total of 453km, with the principle stretch from Lamu to Garissa by means of Ijara masking 257km, the Hindi-Bodhei-Basuba-Kiunga part 113km and the Ijara-Sangailu-Hulugho half 83km.

Compensation controversy

As soon as it's completed, the roads will open up the unstable area by facilitating the transport of products between Lamu, southern Ethiopia and Somalia and bettering safety.

However the steep price of the venture is puzzling, on condition that there can be no excessive land compensation prices and big provisions for relocating essential infrastructure utilities, components that the ministry normally blames for bloated prices of roads initiatives.

LAPPSET

The 505km Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (Lapsset) Highway from Isiolo to Moyale was completed over 4 years ago and has significantly transformed transportation enabling faster and cost-effective movement of goods and people along the new corridor.

The Moyale One Stop Border Point (OSBP) was launched last year by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister, the Federal Republic of Ethiopia.

The border point is part of the LAPSSET project, and is situated approximately 800km North of Nairobi, and 780km South of Addis Ababa.

Construction of the Moyale OSBP was part of the US$ 329 million project that included construction to bitumen standard 438km road from Merille River to Moyale and 300km roads’ sections in Ethiopia.

When originally conceived in 2012, Lamu was to be a massive, 16-year scheme that would require around Sh.300 billion in investment to produce one of the biggest ports in the world.

It was to be able to handle 24 million containers a year, which would make it the fourth busiest port in the world in 2020, after Shenzhen, Singapore and Shanghai.

CCCC’s contract was to build the first three of 32 berths for Sh.50 billion. The first berth was completed in August 2019, and work was to have been completed last year, a timetable that was put back by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Work is under way now to install cranage and other equipment. KPA now has to find investors for the other 29 berths.

Danish shipping giant Maersk is among the carriers interested in playing a role in future expansions, including a special economic zone for manufacturers.