By Reporter
A coalition of Lamu leaders has called on the national government to prioritize the rehabilitation of the Hindi-Kiunga road, citing its disuse as a significant impediment to travel and trade within the county.
The 150-kilometer road, alongside the 100-kilometer Ijara-Hulugho road, has been earmarked for funding worth Kshs 25 billion.
This initiative when complete will bolster security and increase trade in the Lamu Boni and border point areas.
Speaking to the media, former Kiunga Ward MCA Sheikh Babaad highlighted the deteriorating condition of the Hindi-Kiunga road, which he claimed has hindered the transport of a refurbished generator to Kiunga.
“Kiunga has borne the brunt of a poor connecting road, as the Ministry of Energy and the KDF have been unable to ferry a new generator that was meant to start providing electricity three months ago,” Babaad lamented.
He further argued that the poor state of the road is not only making the commute of people and goods within Lamu difficult but is also adversely affecting cross-border trade with Somalia.
The Hindi-Kiunga road serves as a crucial link between Kenya and its neighboring country.
The road has also been a target of numerous IED attacks in recent years, leading to increased fears among road users.
“Plans also need to be made to have the Hindi-Kiunga road upgraded from a murram standard to bitumen status to address commuter fears over IED road attacks,” the former MCA stressed.
Babaad asserted that the failure to rehabilitate and upgrade the Hindi-Kiunga road, which doubles as a security and cross-border-connecting route, equates to economic sabotage.
He cited the significant revenue losses the county incurs due to the disrupted transport and trade.
Awadh Salim, a local fisherman and Kiunga beach management unit official further stated that the lack of a proper road network significantly reduced fishing as a viable trade in the area.
He highlighted how the lack of a proper road network from Hindi to Kiunga which connects to the Lamu-Witu-Garsen hghway has further led to the many cold storage canters keeping off Kiunga for fear of using the dilapidated road.
“To further compound to having no proper road from Kiunga-to Hindi, the lack of electricity in Kiunga has affected cold storage of fish and led to low pricing of catches of the day,” Salim said.
During a Medium Term Planning stakeholder’s forum in Lamu, Trade and Investments Principal Secretary Abubakar Hassan Abubakar revealed that the national government has allocated over Kshs 2 billion in the next financial budget for the rehabilitation and upgrading of roads within Lamu County.
He affirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring Lamu receives adequate security personnel and resources, given its growing importance as a regional logistics hub.
“The government is dedicated to improving infrastructure to enhance security and economic activities in Lamu,” Abubakar stated, emphasizing the strategic significance of the county’s Lamu Port which he said will need a large road network to serve the region.
