EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 21st October, 2025: Movement betweer Kenya and Uganda via the Northern Corridor is set for transformation with confirmation of the Kisumu-Busia / Kakira-Malaba Multinational Expressway as a feasible anc investment-ready project.
The announcement was made during a Market Sounding Conference held in Kampala, Uganda, where government officials, financiers and private sector leaders endorsed the close to 200-kilometre expressway as a key infrastructure priority for the region
The project is supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and implemented under the EAC framework, with grant financing provided through the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD-IPPF),
Once developed, the corridor will redefine mobility and trade between the two countries, cutting travel time, easing congestion and enhancing the flow of goods anc people across one of East Africa’s busiest transport routes within the Trans-Africar Highway and the EAC Regional Trunk Road Network
The feasibility studies recommend major upgrades on both sides of the border. In Uganda, a new 60-kilometre greenfield expressway will be developed between Jinja and Busesa through a Public-Private Partnership, alongside dualling of the Busesa- Malaba and Busitema-Busia sections, while Lwakhakha-Bumbobi will remain a single carriageway. On the Kenyan side, works will involve dualling the Kisumu bypass and upgrading the Kimaeti-Lwakhakha road to bitumen standards. The Busia and Malaba One Stop Border Posts will also be rehabilitated to enhance clearance and efficiency. Together, these developments will strengthen regional connectivity, open new economic opportunities and symbolise East Africa’s commitment to seamless integration.
The conference served as a platform to examine investment opportunities, raise critical questions, offer insights and explore potential partnerships. It also provided an
opportunity to gather market feedback that will help structure the project into a bankable, sustainable and impactful regional investment
Speaking at the event, Uganda’s Minister for Works and Transport, Hon. Gen (Rtd. Katumba Wamala, underscored the strategic importance of the Northern Corridor as the main transport artery for Uganda and the Great Lakes Region, connecting Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC and South Sudan to the port of Mombasa.
“The project aligns with Uganda’s Vision 2040, which seeks to modernise the country’s road network to world-class standards, targeting an average paved road density o 100 km per 1,000 sq. km,” he noted, adding that “the active participation of the private sector through Public-Private Partnerships and other blended financing models wil be critical.”
On his part, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Hon. Andrea Aguer Arik Malueth, highlighted the importance of designing a smart corridor that integrates digital technology, safety anc social inclusion.
“Eighty percent of projects fail at the preparation stage. The support provided by EAC Development Partners has enabled the Community to prepare high-quality, bankable regional infrastructure projects that have successfully attracted both public and private financing,” he noted.