By Isaiah Lucheli
The poor state of the 320-Km Kitale-Lodwar-Sudan highway is frustrating businessmen transporting goods to Southern Sudan.
The bridges along the highway have been destroyed by heavy rains, which hampers transport services.
The Kitale-Lodwar-Sudan highway. Truck drivers and motorists wait for several days for the rains to subside before they can use the road. Photo: Peter Ochieng/Standard READ MOREWhy passengers are not always innocent victims of road crashes State to receive 110,000 doses of injectable HIV prevention drug US now opens door for Kenya to reclaim vital Agoa trade benefits |
The Wakor bridge, which collapsed in the 1990s, is yet to be reconstructed. Motorists use diversions created by the Ministry of Works personnel, across riverbeds.
Kainuk bridge, which also collapsed, is yet to be rebuilt, but the ministry has constructed a bailey to facilitate movement of vehicles.
However, the bailey cannot accommodate 10 tonnes, which has posed a challenge to long distance truck drivers to Southern Sudan and Turkana District.
The heavy rain has made worse the situation, destroying several drainages along the highway as seasonal river burst their banks.
The rain has forced truck drivers and motorists to wait for several days by the riverbanks for the rains to subside, before crossing via the diversions through the riverbeds.
The road is the only major highway linking Kenya and Southern Sudan and its current state has affected business between Kenya and Sudan.
It is also nightmare for long distance truck drivers plying the route, as it takes them almost a week to reach Lodwar and Kapoeta in Southern Sudan from Kapenguria, a distance that would otherwise be covered in a not more than two days, if the state of the road was better.
Facilitate
The road is in a pathetic state at Ortum, Chepkogin, Kalawase, Wakor area to Kainuk and all the way to Lodwar with huge potholes forcing the drivers to travel at low speed.
Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka, who recently visited Kapenguria, said that the Government would reconstruct the road to boost business between Kenya and Sudan.
He noted that the issue had been raised in Parliament, and the Government had already factored it in its development plans.
The North Rift Provincial Roads Engineer, Barruk Odhiambo, said the road would be redesigned to facilitate reconstruction.
Odhiambo said the collapsed bridges would be also rebuilt to facilitate movement of vehicles, even during the rainy season.
"The Sebit bridge has already been reconstructed, and the next bridge being targeted is Kainuk," he said.
The engineer said Sh20 million had been released by the Ministry for the maintenance of the road, and to facilitate transport services.
