The African Development Bank (AfDB) has warned that procurement bureaucracies risk delaying the $189 million (Sh24.39 billion) upgrading of the highway linking Kenya to South Sudan.
AfDB, in its review of the Kenya - South Sudan Road Corridor Lesseru-Kitale and Morpus-Lokichar Road project, says prolonged procurement of the consultants and finalisation of civil works will derail key designs of the one-stop border posts (OSBP), technical and safety audits of the project.
The project, with a total length of 183.4 kilometres (km), will be undertaken in three lots and is meant to reduce travel time between the two economies, especially for the heavy commercial trucks, boosting inter-country trade.
South Sudan relies on Kenya for nearly all its imports, but movement of cargo between the two nations has been significantly hurt by the poor road network, prompting the push for this project.
“The project faces a potential risk of delayed commencement due to prolonged procurement processes and evaluation timelines. Any slippage in finalising civil works contracts and onboarding supervision consultants could push critical activities,” AfDB says in its review of the project.
“This (procurement) delay may have a cascading effect on subsequent components such as OSBP design, technical and road safety audits, ultimately impacting overall project delivery and disbursement targets.”
AfDB says that Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) must urgently set up a procurement tracking dashboard and start weekly progress reviews to identify bottlenecks derailing the project by June 2026. The works are expected to be complete in 36 months.
The road is currently rendered impassable during heavy rains, significantly slowing down the movement of trucks between the two nations. Setting up of OSBPs will ease the clearance process of traders across the two countries. Completion of the highway is expected to further open up trade between the two countries, with Kenya being the big beneficiary.
Official data shows that South Sudan was Kenya’s fourth biggest export market in the East African region, with goods valued at Sh29.72 billion against imports of Sh17.34 billion in 2024.
AfDB has already given the National Treasury a loan of $189 million (Sh24.39 billion at current exchange rates) to fund the project.
KeNHA, the contracting authority for the project, invited interested contractors to bid for the project in August last year.
The road will open up the counties of West Pokot and Turkana to South Sudan. It will also pass through Uasin Gishu, Kakamega, and Trans Nzoia counties.
The project will be undertaken in three lots: the 55-km stretch from Lesseru to Kitale, the 54 km Morpus-Kainuk section, and the Kainuk – Lokichar spanning 74.4 km.
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