Jiangxi Engineering Group has commenced earthworks at Kenol market in Murang’a County to pave the way for construction of 84km Kenol-Sagana-Marua dual carriageway.
The highway, which will be built at a cost of Sh16 billion, starts at the Kenol/Murang’a junction (A2/B25) passing through Makutano, Sagana, and Karatina, before ending at Marua (junction A2/B5) in Nyeri County.
The Kenol-Sagana-Marua dual carriageway is a segment of the proposed 219km Kenol-Isiolo dual carriageway – a key part of the Northern Corridor road networks.
The project, which will be done under the supervision of the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) will be jointly financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the government of Kenya.
According to KeNHA, the dual carriageway will be built in two segments; the first of which will include dualling of a 48km stretch from Kenol through Makutano to Sagana.
It will also feature three new bridges at Saba Saba, Sagana, and Rwamuthambi rivers.
Makutano Interchange
“An interchange will be constructed at Makutano as well as construction and improvement of trading centres along the project road,” KeNHA said in a statement.
The second segment of the Kenol-Marua dual carriageway will include dualling of the 36km stretch from Sagana through Karatina to Marua.
Karatina bypass
A 7km bypass will be constructed at Karatina to facilitate smooth flow of traffic. This will be complemented by three interchanges at Mathaithi, Tumutumu, and Marua.
This segment will also include construction and upgrade of trading centres on the route.
The timeline for completion of the Kenol-Marua highway has been set at 36 months, which means the dual carriageway should be ready for use by June 2023.
On completion, the proposed Kenol-Isiolo dual carriageway will connect to the recently completed Isiolo-Marsabit-Moyale road – playing a key role in connecting northern Kenya to the rest of the country.
However, construction of the Marua-Isiolo segment, which was expected to start this year, is likely to be delayed since the government is yet to obtain funding for the project.
Kenya is reportedly in talks with the US government seeking funds for the project.
The Kenol-Isiolo highway, which is an extension of Thika Road, will start from Kenol in Murang’a County to Marua in Nyeri through Karatina before traversing to Isiolo via Nanyuki.
