This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
On July 17, 2020, it was reported that the Sh18.4 billion Kibwezi-Kitui–Migwani road project was 90 percent complete, with the Chinese contractor racing against time to finish it by December.
The project, which is part of the Northern Corridor Transport Improvement Project, aims to ease traffic flow from Mombasa via Kibwezi, Kitui to Moyale.
Upgrading of the road to bitumen standard has been ongoing since August 2017, with the contract for the 192-kilometre project awarded to Sinohydro Corporation.
According to Luke Xia, the deputy project manager, the residents have fully supported the project, with excellent support from the County governments of Kitui and Makueni.
The road traverses Makueni and Kitui counties, starting from Kibwezi town about 210 km south of Nairobi and continuing in a generally northward direction through Ikutha and Mutomo to Kitui.
It then proceeds to Kabati and onwards through Tulia to Migwani, providing a direct route from Mombasa to Ethiopia on a direct alignment with less steep slopes, avoiding the need to pass through Nairobi.
Works on the project include construction of a bypass in Kitui town, designed to ensure that existing businesses are not affected by the project.
