The Kenyan government will build two safe roads in Lamu County with a total length of 250 kilometers at a cost of 228 million U.S. dollars to strengthen the safety and infrastructure construction of this coastal county before the completion of a new port.

These two roads are 150 kilometers long Kidi-Kiunga and 100 kilometers long Ijara-Hulugho road. They are expected to complement the 88% of Lamu-witu-garsen road that is currently completed and improve Lamu’s A-level road network. . Before mid-2016, Lamu's asphalt road was not even an inch.

Improve the safety of Lamu

According to Wangai Ndirangu, the chairman of the Kenya National Highway Administration (KeNHA), the two safe roads have been budgeted for this fiscal year. Engineer Ndirangu said: "These two safe roads will have a two-pronged effect, both to improve the safety of the Lamu Boni area, and to open the area to future investors when the Lamu Port starts operations later this year. He further added that once the diplomatic tensions are resolved, the Kidi-Kiunga highway is expected to become the main asphalt road connecting Kenya through Lamu and Somalia, which will help improve cross-border trade relations with Somalia. He revealed: “Initially, gravel engineering will be carried out and two road corridors will be cleared. We expect that the works will start in April 2021.”

At present, the Kidi-Kiunga road, where banditry is frequent, is in disrepair, and local leaders have been lobbying the national government to upgrade the road and deal with the apron. Regrettably, due to the condition of this road, this road has always been the common goal of Al-Shabaab militants, and they have installed improvised explosive devices on this road.

The chairman (Rtd) of the Kenya Port Authority (KPA), Joseph Kibwana, said that it also plans to ensure that the 255Km Lamu-Garissa road and the two safe roads are simultaneously undergoing initial rubble and cleanup. Kibwana said that the Lamu-Garissa road will become a permanent route along the northern corridor to transport goods to southern Ethiopia. This road will connect with the already tarred Garissa-Moyale road.Editor/Huang Lijun