African Development Bank funds Kenya to Uganda upgrades and construction of new roads to connect the two countries
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) approved USD 253.0 million of loans to the Governments of Kenya (USD 147.3 million) and Uganda (USD 105.7 million) for the upgrading of 118 km road section connecting the two countries as well as the construction of the 32 km Eldoret town bypass, in Kenya. Once completed in 2021, the project will contribute to improve the living standards of the 1.4 million people in the project zone of influence.
The upgrading of the 118km road connecting Kapchorwa (Uganda) to Kitale (Kenya) will provide an all-weather access for citizens, farmers and traders. The project also includes a construction of a One Stop Border Post in Suam to facilitate trade between the two countries, travellers and transport operators. The upgrading of the road will reduce the travel time in Uganda (Kapchorwa-Suam) from 4hrs to 1.5hrs and in Kenya (Suam-Kitale) from 1.5hrs to 45 minutes.
The project area is very fertile and has high agricultural potential and the upgrading of the road from gravel to bitumen standard will facilitate the supply of farm inputs and evacuation of produce to major market centres. The construction of the Eldoret bypass (32km) will reduce traffic congestion in Eldoret Town, by avoiding crossing of the city centre. Thus, the average speed will increase from 26km/hr in the existing road to 42km/hr using the Eldoret Bypass.
The project outcomes include: improved accessibility to traders and transporters using the border and people living in the project area with reductions in travel time, transport cost, increased mobility, and improved accessibility to economic and social facilities, and provision of market facilities, support to communities through access road and water supply. The project complements Bank supported Irrigation Scheme and Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihood projects in Uganda and Kenya respectively.
“The proposed intervention is also in line with the Bank’s Ten Year Strategy and meets four of the High Fives by contributing to the integration of the EAC countries; improving the quality of life by providing socio-economic facilities to people in the zone of influence; increasing agricultural production through access to markets and the reduction transport cost, which lowers the cost of doing business that will play pivotal role in industrialization.” pointed out Amadou Oumarou, Director of the Infrastructure, Cities and Urban Development Department of the Bank.
The project design paid particular attention to road safety and health issues. The new design of the roads will minimize accident risks by speed calming measures and appropriate and clear signage. The project has Road Safety awareness campaign to the communities. The project also includes the refurbishment of post-crash care centre and the procurement of ambulance and theatre equipment.
The AfDB loans will cover 89% and 88% of the Uganda and Kenya project costs respectively. The Government of Uganda and Kenya contribution will be 11% and 12% of their respective country project cost.
General Procurement Notice issued for the Multinational Uganda / Kenya: Kapchorwa-Suam-Kitale and Eldorat Bypass Road Project
The project objectives are two-fold: At Regional level (for both countries), the objective is to contribute to improving road transportation and trade facilitation along the Suam Border to foster transport linkage with Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and DRC and improve traffic congestion of Eldoret town on the Northern Corridor. At the National level, the development objective is to contribute to improving transport services and agricultural productivity in the Kapchorwa-Suam-Kitale area and reduce the traffic congestion in Eldoret Town to stimulate and support local economic activities by reducing road maintenance costs, vehicle operating costs and travel time in the Eastern Uganda and Western part of Kenya.
The project comprises the following components:
- Civil Works: Upgrading of Kapchorwa – Suam (73Km) to bituminous standard including community access roads and One Stop Border Post (OSBP).
- Consultancy Services for : (i) Design Review and Construction supervision services; (ii) Road safety awareness and training; (iii) Technical and Financial Audit; (iv) Road safety audit; (v) Training in modern bee-keeping techniques; (vi) Training in labour based construction techniques; (vii) Sensitization against Female Genital Mutilation and Gender Based Violence; and (viii) Capacity enhancement on road safety.
- Goods (i) Refurbishment of a post-crash care centre and the procurement of Ambulance and Theatre equipment.
Procurement of works and acquisition of consulting services will be carried out in accordance with AfDB’s Procurement Policy for Bank Group Funded Operations dated October 2015. Bidding documents are expected to be available by May 2017. Interested bidders can obtain further information, and should confirm their interest, by contacting: The Director/Head, Procurement and Disposal Unit, Uganda National Roads Authority, Plot 3-5, New Port Bell Road, First Floor, Block D P.O. Box 28487, Kampala, Uganda – Tel: +256 312 233100/+256 414 318000 – Email: procurement@unra.go.ug
