Kenya and Uganda building a One Stop Border Post at Lwakhakha with the East Africa Community
Kenya, Uganda and the East African Community Secretariat are in the process of upgrading the Lwakhakha border post on the common border between the two EAC Partner States into a One-Stop Border Post.
The project is part of efforts to reduce congestion at the Busia and Malaba One-Stop Border Posts.
The transformation of the Lwakhakha border into an OSBP seeks to streamline customs procedures, reduce clearance times for goods and vehicles, and enhance collaboration between border agencies from both Kenya and Uganda.
The upgrade is expected to reduce the traffic from Malaba and Busia One-stop-border-posts boost trade along the Northern Corridor and improve cross-border security.
The initiative is a testament to the commitment of the EAC in fostering and promoting cross-border cooperation between the two countries.
By implementing the OSBP concept at the Lwakhakha border, the two countries are set to create a more conducive environment for trade and commerce, ultimately benefiting businesses and communities on both sides of the border.
During a site visit to review the status of the ongoing Feasibility Study of the Multinational Kisumu-Kisian-Busia and Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia Expressway, the Principal Civil Engineer at the EAC Secretariat, Engineer Godfrey Enzama, said that upgrading the Lwakhakha border post into an OSBP is part of the 256 kilometers feasibility study of project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Engineer Enzama, disclosed that the East African Community is working closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Lwakhakha border upgrading project.
“This collaborative effort underscores the shared vision of promoting trade facilitation, border security, and regional integration in East Africa,” said Eng Enzama.
Elevating Lwakhakha to a One Stop Border Post and diverting some of the trucks to Lwakhakha will solve numerous issues such as congestion at both Busia and Malaba in addition to creating a shorter and alternative route along the Northern Corridor.
“Geographically, Lwakhakha is a shorter route to Kenya compared to Busia and Malaba in terms of mileage,” said Eng. Enzama.
The Engineer said promoting the Lwakhakha to OSBP will enhance value addition and promotion of high-value exports to the regional markets; and increase employment among the border community youth, amongst other stakeholders.
The feasibility study set to upgrade the existing 25 Kilometers Lwakhakha – Kimaeti road starts at Kimaeti on the Webuye – Malaba (Kenyan side) and the 45 kilometers Mbale (Bumbobi) – Lwakhakha Road (Uganda side).
They will be upgraded to at least two-lane, two-way single carriageway status, with wide shoulders, to enhance capacity and to accommodate current and anticipated future local and cross-border traffic volumes along the corridor.
The road is expected to deepen regional integration and cross border trade between Kenya and Uganda, and will offer an alternative route apart from the Busia and Malaba border crossings. The road is also projected to open doors to tourism.
The feasibility studies for the 256 kilometers multinational Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia expressway is currently underway under the consultancy firm named GOPA Infra Gmbh of Germany together with ITEC Limited of Kenya.
The expressway that will run from Kisumu in Kenya to Kakira, a town Jinja district (Uganda), will involve rehabilitation of the existing two-lane single carriageway to bitumen standards and the upgrading of the same into a two-lane dual carriageway over a 104 kilometers stretch.
The USD 1.4 million feasibility study project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) will determine the economic viability of upgrading the existing multinational road sections from single carriageway to expressway standards.
The expressway is part of improvements on the Northern Corridor which provides landlocked East African nation’s faster access to the Mombasa Port. It also forms part of the Mombasa-Kigali Expressway that was prioritized at the EAC Heads of States Retreat on Infrastructure Development held in February 2018 in Kampala.
The rehabilitation along the East African Community Northern Corridor is expected to contribute to strengthening road infrastructure within the EAC region to fast-track regional integration and spur cross-border trade.
The draft Feasibility Study and Preliminary Design Report will be submitted to the EAC Secretariat by December 2024.