Sh9.5b Sirari corridor project to be completed next year

The ongoing construction of Daraja Moja-Botori Bypass on 15/1/2017. Most developers will lose their property as the government tarmacks a number of roads in Kisii town. [Sammy Omingo]

A 167km road network whose construction is expected to open up Western region to trade will be completed mid next year, according to a project brief.

The project, which entails widening of the Ahero-Kisii highway and construction of several feeder roads into Kisii, Homa Bay, Kericho, Migori and Kisumu counties, is expected to significantly boost transport and trade in the region.

The Sh9.5 billion Sirari corridor accessibility and safety improvement project is being implemented by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA). It is funded by the African Development Bank, the Government and the European Union.

According to the brief published at the beginning of this month, the 84km stretch from Ahero to Kisii serves 10 times the capacity and volume of traffic it was designed for. KeNHA said although the road was overstretched, its narrow width stood in the way of use by large and heavy vehicles in response to growing investments and economic drive in the region.

Works to expand the road from the current five metres wide to nine metres, with broad shoulders to keep pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists safe is 30 per cent complete, having begun in Kisii.

More than 83km of feeder roads into Kendu Bay, Oyugis, Rangwe, Rodi Kopany, Misambi and Nyabondo townships will be constructed, KenHA said.

“The proposed road alignment will be single carriageway with service roads and loop roads at various locations,” the brief says. KeNHA will also spend Sh163 million on setting up a trauma centre at the Nyabondo Mission Hospital