China-Funded Road Bypasses to Ease Heavy Traffic in Nairobi, Kenya

Anchor: The Chinese government is partially funding the construction of two new bypasses in Nairobi to ease heavy traffic in the Kenyan capital.

The eastern and northern bypasses are part of the Kenyan government's ambitious infrastructure development program to end bottlenecks on roads leading into central Nairobi and make the metropolis a regional economic hub.

CRI's Nairobi correspondent, Wei Tong, attended the project's inauguration ceremony and filed this report.

Reporter: The bypasses will span a total length of 70 kilometers. They will bypass Nairobi's bustling city center and connect to the main road to Uganda. Most of the road section is a dual-carriageway with 15 flyovers.

The total investment is more than 130 million US dollars, 85 percent of which is being funded by the Chinese government in the form of buyer's credit. The Kenyan government is allocating the rest.

The project contractor and builder is China Road and Bridge Corporation. Du Fei, the company's branch manager in Kenya, says heavy traffic in Nairobi will be greatly eased when the project is completed in mid-2012.

"Currently, the road linking Kenya's sea port Mombasa to the inland Republic of Uganda is a big bottleneck. With the completion of the bypasses three years from now, the seriously heavy traffic jams will be largely alleviated. Since the project started in May, everything has turned out to be smooth."

Local residents near the construction site are witnessing the daily progress of the project. Jennifer Wairimu is a primary school teacher who travels miles to work everyday. She gets up very early in the morning to avoid being late for class.

She says she never imagined that one day a wide road would be constructed near her home, offering more convenient travel.

"We have very serious traffic jams now, but we are happy because this road can ease the heavy traffic. There were no roads, and when it rained, the cars used to get stuck. But now if the road is completed, there won't be any difficulties in transport. Their work is very good because we can see they are united with our friends who have come to help us with the construction the road."

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki conveyed his sincere gratitude for China's generous assistance with the project. He says his administration is determined to improve the road system.

"The completion of these projects will not only address the daily challenge of vehicle traffic congestion on the city's highways, but also underscore Nairobi's position as a regional hub. I, therefore, call upon our planners to come up with new ideas on how to address transportation challenges in the major urban centers of this country. In this connection, I am glad to note some effort is being made, and the African Development Bank has agreed to finance a study to determine the best options for an appropriate public transport system in the city."

Deng Hongbo, China's ambassador to Kenya, says he hopes China and Kenya can further cooperate in various fields.

"And I believe along with the development of the relations between our two countries, this kind of cooperation will be further strengthened in the days ahead. The Chinese government always encourages Chinese companies to make investments in Kenya and undertake projects of cooperation."

Wei Tong, CRI News, Nairobi, Kenya.