Mombasa-Tanga link faces delays over design changes

Kenya has blamed design changes for delaying the start of work on a road linking the port of Mombasa to the Tansanian port of Tanga. The change to the key road’s design is from a single to dual carriageway along a section of the 445km transnational highway. However, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the principal financier of the project, said the Kenyan government itself was slow in completing preliminary studies, such as road designs, in order to start construction.
April 10, 2018 Read time: 3 mins
Kenya has blamed design changes for delaying the start of work on a road linking the port of Mombasa to the Tansanian port of Tanga.


The change to the key road’s design is from a single to dual carriageway along a section of the 445km transnational highway.

However, the 1586 African Development Bank (AfDB), the principal financier of the project, said the Kenyan government itself was slow in completing preliminary studies, such as road designs, in order to start construction.

The road from Malindi on the Kenyan coast to Bagamoyo - formerly a key trading port in north-eastern Tanzania during colonial times - will cost around US$751 million, according to the Kenya-based newspaper Business Daily Africa. AfDB will fund about 70% of the project, with the two countries covering 30% of the total cost in their respective territories.

Work on the mega project that is expected to take 36 months but the start of construction has been delayed since 2016. It was expected to start this year, but a start is now not likely until next year.

Kenya’s transport and infrastructure secretary James Macharia said the new designs will ensure that the stretch from Mtwapa to Nyali in Mombasa - including the Mtwapa Bridge - is expanded from a single to dual carriage as in the previous designs.

“We had to change the designs to make sure we do not have a bottleneck at Nyali-Mtwapa area because traffic there is a very big problem,” Macharia reportedly said. “Designs for the [Mtwapa] bridge can be complex and need time to ensure it is done properly.”

Kenya started the tendering process for contractors to do feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments last month; Tanzania has already completed this aspect of the project inside their borders.

“Tanzania is moving faster than Kenya, but since it is a multinational project, the two countries have to come together,” said Gabriel Negatu, the AfDB director-general for business development and delivery in East Africa. “Once the detailed designs are done, we will proceed either this year or next.”

The 250km Kenyan section of the transnational highway starts in Malindi and runs  through Mombasa and on to Lunga Lunga at the border with Tanzania. Most of the project is rehabilitation of the existing road.

It will then cross into Tanzania through Tanga port and stretch 175km to Bagamoyo, a world heritage town as designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (1384 UNESCO).

This will be the third transnational road project by the two countries. Previous projects included the are the $260 million Arusha-Namanga-Athi River Road.

Finance & Funding

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Diamond in the Pearl: China’s Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge complex
    March 8, 2018
    People in the Pearl River Delta are celebrating the Chinese New Year with the imminent opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. David Arminas reviews progress. China’s Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, is celebrated with the usual enthusiasm and spectacular fireworks. But celebrations will be particularly joyous for many people in the southern Pearl River Delta. The soon-to-be-open Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) will slash travel time between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Zhuh
    Read More
  • Upgrading a busy A road link in the UK
    July 4, 2018
    The upgrade to the UK’s busy A14 route will address a significant traffic bottleneck - Mike Woof writes The UK is suffering badly from traffic congestion, a problem that is particularly severe in and around its major cities. Lack of investment in road construction over many years has resulted in a major backlog of work, while the country has seen growing vehicle numbers. To make matters worse, there have been few additions to the major road network since the late 1980s and early 1990s. And the combinatio
    Read More
  • Sourcing road financing for East Africa’s network expansion
    December 4, 2015
    East Africa’s ambitious road expansion programme is seeing the network expand significantly – Shem Oirere writes The East Africa countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda have announced ambitious road sector expansion plans in the 2015/16 financial year. This is despite their national budgets being weighed down by huge deficits and persisting lack of capacity to spend resources allocated to the sector in previous years. With the huge budget deficits, the countries will have to look for alternati
    Read More
  • New bridge over Nile will help landlocked Uganda
    April 3, 2013
    A new River Nile bridge is essential to boost trade and improve traffic in landlocked Uganda. Shem Oirere reports A new bridge across the River Nile at Jinja, to be constructed by Uganda, is promising to boost trade in eastern Africa and pave the way for smooth and safe traffic in and out of this landlocked country. The bridge, also known as the Second Nile Bridge, is the first cable-stayed bridge in the region and will be constructed at Njeru, 80km east of the Ugandan capital Kampala, along the Kampala-Jin
    Read More

Highlighted Content