By PSCU
President Uhuru Kenyatta today officially opened the Mwatate-Taveta road, constructed at a cost of Sh8.4 billion, that is part of the multinational highway linking the Kenyan town of Voi and the Tanzanian city of Arusha.
The President also delivered 20,000 titles to the people of Taveta, fulfilling a pledge he made that he would resolve their outstanding land issues.
The Mwatate-Taveta road is a section of a road that runs from Kenya throughTanzania to Burundi and while all other sections of the network was tarmacked, it was the Kenyan side that remained untarmacked. Kenyans had long complained that they wanted the stretch constructed to bring uniformity to the corridor, and the African Development Bank stepped up the plate to jointly fund the project with the Kenyan government.
The completion of the road is expected to increase the country’s business competitiveness by providing an efficient route for cross border trade and tourism while enhancing regional integration.
The improvement of the road network will attract private investors, improve accessibility to social amenities, reduce costs for maintaining vehicles and increase access to education and health facilities.
President Kenyatta said the new road will reduce the time it takes to travel from Taveta to Voi to only two hours instead of the more than six hours it used to take.
“This is the promise I made to you in 2013. I have delivered my pledges and even more,” said the President as he listed how the Jubilee Government has upgraded the Taveta Hospital and also improved education.
The President also issued title deeds to the residents of Taveta County, part of the 20,000 title deeds the Jubilee Government has issued in Taita-Taveta.
The President, who spoke when he addressed a rally in Taveta town, urged residents to vote for Jubilee candidates in the August 8 election so that he can have people to work with to deliver more development to the residents.
Deputy President William Ruto said the Jubilee Government has undertaken unprecedented development in Taita-Taveta County.
“Uhuru has just opened the Mwatate-Taveta road and has delivered 20,000 title deeds for residents and the Government has also upgraded the hospital in Taveta,” said the Deputy President.
Earlier in the morning, President Kenyatta commissioned the dualling of the Mombasa-Mariakani highway, capping the Sh60 billion invested by the Jubilee administration in infrastructure in Mombasa County.
The dualling of the six-lane highway, which will ease congestion, will start with the construction of the 11.3 km Mombasa-Kwa Jomvu section at a cost of Sh6.1 billion.
The second section of the dualling of the major highway, from Kwa Jomvu to Mariakani, is also being done concurrently at a cost of Sh6 billion.
Other road projects by the Jubilee administration in the Coastal county of Mombasa include the Sh2.7 billion Port Reitz/Moi International access road, a crucial link that will provide the necessary connection to the newly constructed second container terminal.
The Construction of the Mombasa Southern Bypass (Dongo Kundu – Mwache road) at a cost of Sh12.5 billion is also ongoing.
In Kilifi, President Kenyatta last September launched the Sh4.2 billion State-funded construction of the 110-kilometre Malindi-Sala Gate, one of the key roads that will boost tourism and promote the economy for the benefit of residents.
Earlier in the year, President Kenyatta launched the tarmacking of the famous Mariakani-Bamba road at a cost of Sh2.1 billion.
In March, the President launched construction of the Sh1.5 billion Marikebuni-Majengo-Marafa road and the upgrading to bitumen standards of the 35-kilometre Kaloleni-Kilifi road at a cost of Kshs 2.3 billion.
In Tana River County, the tarmacking of the Hola-Bura-Charidende- Madogo road is underway while in Lamu County, the construction of the Witu-Lamu road is ongoing among others.