THE Busia county government has unveiled a plan to make the Malaba border post a 24-hour business hub.

Roads executive Gregory Odeke told residents on Friday that the county government had finalised plans to improve services in the town.

“Malaba is the most important town in Busia county because of the high population and huge business,” he said.

Odeke launched a plan to construct drainage tunnels in the town to control floods.

Already the county government is engaging the private sector and foreign investors in raising Sh6 billion to be invested in the construction of a dry port in the town.

Last year, the county government put up street lights on the town’s main road and market.

The lighting project will be rolled out to other major towns and markets in the county.

Malaba border post handles 70 per cent of cargo in transit to and from the port of Mombasa to neighbouring landlocked countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo and South Sudan.

The town collects at least Sh60 million in revenue every month.

Malaba Central MCA Ismail Orodi said when the proposed dry port project is complete, businessmen from Uganda and other neighbouring countries will shop from within the border point instead of travelling all the way to Mombasa.

Malaba also hosts the exit point for the Kenya-Uganda railway line that runs from the port of Mombasa to Uganda’s capital Kampala.

With the completion of the standard gauge railway line, the town will also host a train passenger terminal.

Source: All Africa

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TradeMark Africa.