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East Africa feels pressure of rising vehicle imports

Wednesday April 08 2015

Authorities in Nairobi, Kampala and Kigali are caught in a race to expand key road infrastructure following an upsurge in vehicle traffic.

The traffic woes around East African capital cities reflect the high number of vehicles cleared at the Port of Mombasa which has grown sharply over the years, piling pressure on governments in the region to expand existing infrastructure facilities.
A total of 157,856 motor vehicles were discharged in 2014 compared to 136,915 units cleared the previous year, an increase of 20,941, statistics by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) showed.
In 2012, 120,268 units were cleared at the Mombasa port, which also serves landlocked countries like Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. Tanzania does most of its importations through the Dar es Saalam port.

READ: Kenya looks to increase duty on EAC car imports

Projections showed that the number of cars getting into the East Africa region is expected to grow progressively. The growing number of vehicles getting into the region and using the roads has put pressure on the existing infrastructure, necessitating the expansion of road networks in major cities.

The need for more roads is independent of the developing EAC railway project and the expanding of Eastern and Northern Corridors. The expansion of roads will ensure the number of vehicles getting into the region will not cram the existing roads, which were previously designed to accommodate fewer units.

After the expansion of Thika road in Kenya and building of Eastern, Southern and Northern bypass, the Kenyan government has also embarked on the expansion of road networks within the city, Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) recently announced.

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Plans are underway to expand the Karen- Bomas and Karen-Kikuyu roads to improve traffic flow in Nairobi, because the congestion on the Ngong and Lang’ata roads spills into the Central Business District (CBD).

There are also plans to construct a 12.3 kilometres dual road crossing the CBD, a move expected to ease Nairobi’s heavy traffic jam, which the governments says costs the city Sh50 million a day in lost productivity.

Kenya Roads Urban Authority (Kura), which is charged with the mandate of managing, developing and maintaining all public roads in cities and towns in the country, has been instrumental in ensuring that the road network is expanded too. Several multi-billion shilling projects are underway and include the rehabilitation of road networks in Upperhill, Eastleigh, Voi and Eldoret.

The Ugandan government has also been working on its road networks in a bid to decongest Entebbe City and to open up other parts of the country.

Current statistics indicate that Entebbe Road carries the highest number of vehicles in Uganda every day, at 51,834, followed by Jinja Road, which serves 42,857 units.

Uganda is working to expand the Northern Bypass into a dual carriage way, a move the Uganda National Roads Authority says move will help decongest the city by elimination of roundabouts.

The bypass will connect motorists using Entebbe Express Highway to the city centre while a road in Kalerwe will be used by those using Entebbe Express Highway into the city.

The Northern Bypass will run through Bweyogerere, Kireka, Naalya, Kiwatule, Kigoowa, Bukoto, Mulago, Makerere, Bwaise, Kawaala, Namungoona and Busega.

The Southern Bypass, whose construction is yet to start, will cover 17 kilometre and will connect the Kampala-Jinja highway and the Kamplala-Entebbe highways, further reducing traffic jams in the city.

The country has also improved its road networks in rural areas. For instance, the 103 kilometre Portal-Lamia road was opened for use last month while construction of the 82 kilometre stretch between Malaba and Bugiri is nearing completion.

READ: Uganda to enforce mandatory pre-export inspection of cars

Expansion of roads in Rwanda is primarily aimed at positioning the country as an investment destination, unlike Kenya and Uganda whose main mission is to clear the traffic mess that hits the two capital cities every day.

Rwanda’s traffic congestion is yet to exceed international limits, but current trends indicate that more vehicles are getting into the roads forcing the government to rework existing infrastructure. The country has also embarked on road network expansion.

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