EAC bags $1.4 million for road along Uganda-Kenya border
A section of the Malaba-Busitema-Busia expressway. The East African Community is expected to conduct feasibility studies on the road. PHOTO / STEPHEN OTAGE
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Part of the funding would also be for the feasibility studies to upgrade the Malaba, Busia and Lwakhakha border posts along the Kenya-Uganda border.
The East African Community (EAC) has received $1.4 million for a feasibility study on a key section of the Northern Transport Corridor linking Kenya and Uganda.
The EAC deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote, disclosed that the funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) would be used to conduct feasibility studies on the 256 Km multinational Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira – Malaba-Busitema-Busia expressway project.
Eng. Mlote further said part of the AfDB funding would also be for the feasibility studies for the upgrading of the Malaba, Busia and Lwakhakha border posts along the Kenya-Uganda border.
Eng. Mlote further revealed that the Secretariat had also secured a commitment of 10 million Euros from the Federal Government of Germany in December 2022 for financing feasibility studies towards upgrading trade infrastructure in the region.
Eng. Mlote was speaking during the opening session of the EAC Sectoral Council on Transport, Communications and Meteorology (SCTCM) that was held in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Speaking during the opening session, the chairperson of the Meeting who is also Burundi’s Minister for Infrastructure, Equipment and Social Housing, Captain Dieudonne Dukundane, emphasised the importance of introducing performance indicators in the TCM report in future to assess progress in implementing the directives of the sectoral council.
EAC Roaming charges
The SCTCM directed Tanzania and Burundi to implement the EAC Roaming Framework by 30th August, 2023 and provide the status of implementation to the next Summit of the EAC Heads of State.
The meeting further directed Tanzania to make the necessary statutory amendments towards implementing the 16th Summit directives (issued on July 15th, 2015) with respect to roaming and surcharges on traffic from Partner States.
Also, there shall be no charges for receiving roaming calls originating within the EAC in addition to the removal of surcharges for international Traffic originating and terminating within the EAC.
Roaming calls
There shall be no charges for receiving roaming calls originating within the EAC in addition to the removal of surcharges for international Traffic originating and terminating within the EAC.
