Transport cs Kipchumba Murkomen has announced plans to build an international highway connecting Mombasa to the democratic Republic of Congo. This move aims to boost trade between the country and DR congo, and the project will start from Mombasa to Brazzaville to Point Noire.

PHOTO | COURTESY Kipchumba Murkomen

Held a meeting with a delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo led by H.E. Jean Jacques Bouya, the Minister for State, Regional Planning and Infrastructure, at the Ministry Headquarters in Nairobi. pic.twitter.com/ot0o0Isrom

A report by the transport ministry notes that the project will facilitate goods transit and boost both countries economies. According to a Twitter statement, they discussed plans to develop the Mombasa-Brazzaville-Point Noire international highway as a major continental transit corridor, which would boost trade and create job opportunities along the corridor.

The Ministry of Transport stated in a statement dated March 1 that Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen met with the Congolese minister, Jean Jacques Bouya, to discuss the megaproject's details.

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"The meeting discussed the resumption and enhancement of aviation links between Kenya and Congo and modalities for intensified cooperation in air services between the respective national carriers of the two countries," part of the statement added.

It takes a truck one week to travel from Mombasa to far destinations in DRC, Burundi and Rwanda, and the highway will significantly reduce the distance. Last year, the European Union (EU) and Kenya officially opened the first section of an upgraded 560km motorway along East Africa's busiest trade and transport route, the Northern corridor.

We further deliberated on the modalities for the resumption of direct flights from Nairobi to Brazaville which were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic and explored ways through which our two countries can enhance cooperation in the aviation sector. pic.twitter.com/0zZrh2d8ac

The EU is funding four larger transportation projects in Kenya and neighbouring countries to expand the Northern Corridor and provide maritime access to landlocked countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Kenyan government are also part of the consortium. The total budget for the Northern Corridor upgrade is €756 million.