500-km road opens up trade in northern Kenya

The building of the 500-kilometre Isiolo-Merille-Marsabit-Moyale road has opened up northern Kenya and boosted businesses, Marsabit Governor Ukur Yatani has said.

Speaking when he received four governors from the frontier counties in his office on Monday evening, Mr Yatani said although no buses used to ply the route four years ago, there were now about 40.

"The trans-Africa highway from Nairobi to Addis Ababa has been a blessing to us," Mr Yatani told Lamu governor Issa Timamy, Nathif Jama (Garissa), Ahmed Abdullahi (Wajir) and Isiolo deputy governor Mohamed Guleid.

The governors are to be joined by Mandera's Ali Roba and Hussein Dado (Tana River) Tuesday for the launch of Frontier Counties Development Council.

The economic bloc involving seven former marginalised counties has been hailed as a major milestone in developing the region.

On Monday, Mr Yatani who was praised by his colleagues for development including in livestock sector said the highway had eased movement of people and goods.

"Some of the buses are operating from Nairobi to Addis Ababa. This road is a major game changer in this county" Mr Yatani said.

Due to the tarmac, petrol stations are coming up along the highways. Security has also improved.

The county government, the governor added, was planning to build major arteries connecting rural areas to the highway that cost more than Sh13 billion.

CROSS-BORDER TRADE
The governor who was elected on ODM ticket in 2013 polls after forming an alliance that brought together Rendille, Gabra and Burji communities said the 550-kilometre border stretch that his county shares with Ethiopia had promoted cross-border trade.

Marsabit, the biggest county in the country that occupies 78,000 square kilometres of land, also has the only desert in East Africa.

Seventy-five per cent of Lake Turkana, the only desert lake in the world is in Marsabit, a county that is regarded as cradle of mankind.

"We have huge tourism potential. We also have crater lakes on tip of mountain. Our indigenous forests cannot be compared to Mt Kenya," Mr Yatani said.

Mr Jama said he was marvelled by size of Marsabit County, which, from farthest corner to the other is 900 kilometres or equivalent to the distance between Nairobi and Kampala.

"I thought Garissa is big but now I know Marsabit is the largest," he said.

Mr Timamy said: "I had never expected finding such huge projects like Merille livestock market in Marsabit."

Mr Timamy vouched for re-election of Mr Yatani for continued development.

"If you change this team you will be making big mistake," Mr Timamy said.

The Isiolo-Merille-Marsabit-Moyale road is part of the Lamu-Port-South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor funded by the government and the European Union at a cost of Sh13.7 billion.

The road is funded by the European Union and the national government.

The infrastructure development is a blessing to livestock keepers, who make up to 90 per cent of the county’s residents, as they could now transport their livestock easily to market.

Most livestock keepers lost their animals in the past due to bad roads.