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

  • Mozambique road tender due to open
    October 26, 2016
    The tender process is opening for the project to rebuild an important road route in Mozambique. The road stretch is in Cabo Delgado Province and runs a distance of over 170km from Mueda to Negomano, which lies on the country’s border with neighbouring Tanzania. Continuing north eastwards beyond Negomano on the same route lies the Unity Bridge that spans the Rovuma River and which forms the border between Mozambique and Tanzania. Upgrading the 100km road stretch will help trade between the two countries and
    Read More
  • Austria is first to tender for C-ITS data collection on roads
    September 18, 2018
    This time next year Austria will be the first European country to have vehicles that collect safety‐relevant traffic information in real‐time. “We’re going for it,” Marko Jandrisits, the telematics services programme manager for Austria’s publicly own road and toll company ASFiNAG, said the tender for equipping the Austrian motorway network with the hardware and software for C-ITS – cooperative ITS - had just been launched. “The future is here,” said Jandrisit on the stand of AustriaTech at the ITS W
    Read More
  • Transport corridors to help deliver shared prosperity
    September 28, 2018
    Leading actors set the stage at the European Road Conference, October 22nd -24th in Dubrovnik, Croatia South East Europe is at an important crossroads in the development of its transport connectivity programs, securing a critical role as a gateway for international trade routes. At a time of growing motorisation, the region’s network of roads and highways is currently its largest public asset. However, significant challenges remain to enhance the safety, efficiency, environmental sustainability and re
    Read More
  • Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh benefiting from major transport investment
    September 9, 2013
    Saudi Arabia is undergoing a series of upgrades to its transport network in a bid to improve Traffic flow rates and boost safety - Mike Woof reports. The massive growth in the use of motor transport worldwide since the start of the 20th century has transformed every country on the planet. But perhaps no country has changed more dramatically than Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading oil producer. At the start of the 20th century Saudi Arabia’s population was small and the country had few industries while it is
    Read More

Highlighted Content