Garsen–Witu–Lamu Highway is a road, under construction in
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
, connecting the towns of
Garsen,
Witu and
Lamu
Lamu or Lamu Town is a small town on Lamu Island, which in turn is a part of the Lamu Archipelago in Kenya. Situated by road northeast of Mombasa that ends at Mokowe Jetty, from where the sea channel has to be crossed to reach Lamu Isla ...
.
Location
The road starts at Garsen, in
Tana River County
Tana River County is a county in the former Coast Province of Kenya. It is named after the Tana River, the longest river in Kenya. It has an area of and had a population of 315,943 as of the 2019 census. The county borders Kitui County to t ...
, pursuing a general easterly direction through
Witu to end at
Mokowe
Mokowe is a small town in Kenya's Lamu County in what was previously Coast Province.
Location
Mokowe is located on the Garsen–Witu–Lamu Highway, approximately , east of Garsen. It is the last town on the route to the Mokowe Jetty, about a ...
in
Lamu County
Lamu County is a county in Kenya located along the North Coast of the country and is one of the six Coastal Counties in Kenya. Its capital is the town of Lamu. It borders Tana River County to the southwest, Garissa County to the north, Som ...
, where the ferry connects to
Lamu Island
Lamu Island is a port, city, and island just off the shore of Kenya in the Indian Ocean approximately 150 miles from Mombasa. It is a part of the East African country of Kenya. Lamu was founded in the 12th century. Lamu is one of the longest-est ...
, a total distance of about . However the construction contract gives the distance as .
Overview
This road, is an important trade corridor for traffic headed from Nairobi, South Sudan and Ethiopia, to the proposed
Port Lamu and is a component of the
Lamu
Lamu or Lamu Town is a small town on Lamu Island, which in turn is a part of the Lamu Archipelago in Kenya. Situated by road northeast of Mombasa that ends at Mokowe Jetty, from where the sea channel has to be crossed to reach Lamu Isla ...
-
Moyale
Moyale is a city situated on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya. In Ethiopia, it serves as the administrative centre for two Ethiopian woredas: Moyale of the Oromia Region and Moyale of the Somali Region. In Kenya, it is the largest tow ...
Highway, part of
LAPSSET
The Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project, also known as Lamu corridor is a transport and infrastructure project in Kenya that, when complete, will be the country's second transport corridor. Kenya's other transport ...
.
Upgrade and funding
The
government of Kenya
The Government of the Republic of Kenya (GoK) is the Central government, national government of the Kenya, Republic of Kenya located in East Africa. It is composed of Counties of Kenya, 47 Counties, each county with its own semi-autonomous gove ...
, using locally sourced funds, plans to upgrade the entire road to class II bitumen surface with shoulders, culverts and drainage channels.
Kenya National Highway Authority
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) is an autonomous road agency. Its responsibility is for the management, development, rehabilitation, and maintenance of Class S, A and B roads as explained below.
Location
The headquarters of KeNHA ...
is handling the hiring of a qualified, competent contractor to carry on the work.
H-Young Company was selected to improve the surface to grade II bitumen standard, widen the road to across, with culverts, drainage channels and side paths at a cost of KSh10.8 billion (US$108 million). As of December 2018, construction works were approximately 20 percent complete, with a completion date of December 2019.
In December 2020
The EastAfrican
''The EastAfrican'' is a weekly newspaper published in Kenya since 7 November 1994, by the Nation Media Group, which also publishes Kenya's national ''Daily Nation''. The ''EastAfrican'' also circulates in the other countries of the African Grea ...
newspaper reported construction progress at 75 percent, with commissioning expected in October 2021.
In March 2021,
The Star Kenya reported work progress at an estimated 87 percent complete. At that time the road length is reported as long. Completion is expected later in 2021.
See also
*
List of roads in Kenya
The following is a list of the national roads in Kenya, under the jurisdiction of the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA). KenHa classifies International Trunk Roads as Class ‘A’ and National Trunk Roads as Class ‘B’. The list is not ...
*
LAPSSET
The Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project, also known as Lamu corridor is a transport and infrastructure project in Kenya that, when complete, will be the country's second transport corridor. Kenya's other transport ...
*
B8 road (Kenya)
References
External links
Webpage of the Kenya National Highway Authority
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garsen-Witu-Lamu Highway
Roads in Kenya
Lamu County
Tana River County