Omanyo urges government to prioritise dualing of key border highways

Busia women representative Catherine Omanyo at Bunge Towers, Parliament, Nairobi. September 5, 2024. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo has called on the government to fast-track the dualing of the Kisumu–Busia- Eldoret–Malaba highways.

She cited their strategic importance to regional trade and the negative socio-economic effects of their current poor state.

Speaking in the National Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, Omanyo urged the Chairperson of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee to table a detailed report on the progress of the projects, which were part of Kenya Kwanza’s priority agenda.

“The narrow, dilapidated roads and lack of essential infrastructure, such as trailer parks, have denied Busia residents the opportunity to benefit from economic activities associated with cross-border trade,” said Omanyo.

She emphasised that the two highways serve as key arteries along the Great Northern Corridor, linking Kenya to East and Central Africa.

“Busia and Malaba One-Stop Border Posts are the gateway to the region. The government must accelerate the dualing process,” she added.

Omanyo urged the committee to provide both short-term and long-term solutions to ease traffic congestion, which she said is causing more social harm than economic gain.

“The chronic traffic snarl-ups in Busia and Malaba have led to an increase in social ills such as human trafficking, sexual exploitation, teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and child labour,” she said.

Her remarks come just two weeks after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki announced that the government had allocated funds in the 2025/2026 financial year for the expansion of the two major highways.

Omanyo cited that the Malaba One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) alone generates over Sh10 billion annually, yet due to the congestion, trucks often form queues stretching up to 30 kilometres from Malaba to Kanduyi.

She noted that the Bungoma–Malaba road is crucial in facilitating trade with landlocked countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan, linking them to key Kenyan cities like Mombasa, Nairobi, and Eldoret.

“The expansion of these roads is not just a transport issue but an economic and social necessity for the people of Busia and the entire region,” she said.