Teso North legislator Oku Kaunya has called for the dualing of a section of Malaba-Bungoma highway to ease traffic flow.
Kaunya told KNA he has asked the government to expand the highway between Malaba and Koteko area which is about ten kilometers in order to permanently deal with the perpetual truck jam in the border town.
He said: “Aware that Malaba is the main port of entry and exit that handles the highest percentage of cargo in the East African region the government needs to construct a dual carriageway right from the One Stop Border Post.
“It should also construct sideways along the highway so that we have space for the trucks to park.”
Kaunya disclosed that plans are underway to construct a trailer park on the 25-acre piece of land belonging to Kenya Ports Authority in Malaba.
“I made a proposal for establishment of a trailer park sometime back to the Parliamentary Finance Committee and the National Treasury which is now in charge of the Port of Mombasa.
“The proposal went through the relevant authorities and it was approved. I expect construction to commence any time and once complete I believe it will be able to hold many trucks waiting to cross over to Uganda,” Kaunya stated.
Kaunya made the call just days after the highway witnessed the longest traffic snarl-up stretching to over 70 kilometers from Malaba.
In December 2021, Uganda introduced mandatory Covid-19 testing for drivers to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. It was also charging Sh3, 600 per test.
The move forced drivers transporting cargo between Mombasa and Kampala to stage a strike from January 3. The strike lasted for 11 days and by the time it was called off the traffic had stretched to over 70kilometers.
By Melechezedeck Ejakait
