Full completion of the Malaba border post is set for April, financiers have said, raising hope for faster clearance of goods and passenger between Kenya and Uganda.
The one-stop border post has been functioning with sub optimal infrastructure since its commissioning last June.
Delays in completion of the project have been occasioned by end World Bank funding in September, at a time when infrastructure for the Sh533 million project were not fully concluded.
The World Bank funding was limited in time. Variations to the contract were also left without funding.
Trademark East Africa (TMA) injected additional funds into the project to complete the outstanding works and variations bringing the final contract sum to Sh632 million, excluding claims.
“Malaba last bits and pieces of infrastructure will be completed by March /April this year on the Kenya side while the access road to the new bridge from the Uganda side will be completed in April 2017,” said Sjoerd Visser, TMA one-stop border posts director.
He said the developments would allow the use of the new dual carriage weigh bridge and separate entry as well as exit roads into Kenya and Uganda.
Current tedious clearance procedures at both sides often lead to delays and congestion at the border point.
To date, five one-stop border posts have been completed in East Africa including Busia, Holili Taveta, Mutukula (Uganda/Tanzania) Kagitumba Mirama Hills (Rwanda/ Uganda) and Kobero Kabanga (Burundi/Tanzania).
The completed border posts are part of the 15 initiated by the East African Community (EAC) One-Stop-Border-Posts Bill 2012, which compels members to build the infrastructure and support traffic flow and trade.
The posts comprise a modern immigration centre, police station, custom booths, clearance block, animal house, dog kennels, gate house and a furnace for burning waste will bring officials from both countries to increase efficiency.
According to the July 2016 Baseline Time and Traffic survey report, an average of 615 trucks cross the Malaba border from Uganda to Kenya, and around 651 trucks from Kenya to Uganda.
It takes an average of 5.97 hours for a commercial truck to cross the border from Uganda to Kenya, with 2.92 hours spent queuing and 3.05 hours accounting for cargo processing time.
Source: Business Daily Africa
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