Construction of the Mwache Bridge connecting Mombasa Island with Kwale County has started. The president Uhuru Kenyatta visited the site last weekend to supervise the ongoing construction.
A Japanese consortium, Fujita Corporation-Mitsubishi Corporation, commenced work on the much-awaited construction of phase two of the Dongo Kundu Bypass in Mombasa in May this year.
The 8.96-km dual carriageway project, which will rake in Sh25 billion in construction costs involves construction of an interchange at the Likoni-Lunga Lunga highway and erection of two bridges: one at Mwache – spanning 660 metres, and another at Mteza straddling 1,440 metres.
“The Mteza Bridge is seven times longer than Nyali (bridge) and it will reduce costs and time used to cross over to and from South Coast. It will also serve the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone,” KeNHA director- general Peter Mundinia said in an earlier interview.
Mwache Bridge is designed to land on the Tsunza peninsula in Kwale County where it will connect with the Mteza Bridge – which will complete the South Coast mainland connection.
In November 2014, Kenya signed a Sh25 billion-loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to finance the construction of the Dongo Kundu Bypass.
Construction of the 11-kilometre bypass phase one between Mombasa Port and Miritini was launched in 2016 and completed in 2018. The road runs from Mombasa Port’s second container terminal and joins the Mombasa-Nairobi highway at Bonje.
The project was undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.
“[Dongo Kundu] is a very important project because the road will help evacuate cargo from the port. You realise that there is a lot of congestion at Jomvu and Miritini, a problem we are trying to address by creating this link,” then Infrastructure PS John Mosonik told reporters when the road was opened for use.
The Dongo Kundu Bypass, also known as the Southern Bypass, was proposed 30 years ago as a means to decongest Mombasa by providing an alternative to the Likoni ferry through linking the mainland with the south coast.
Early this year, the National treasury Cabinet Secretary Amb. Ukur yatani and Chief Representative, Jica Kenya Office Mr. Katsutoshi Komori signed a loan agreement for the Mombasa Special Economic Zone Development Project 1 amounting to Ksh. 36.139 billion.
The construction of the first SEZ was launched at Dongo Kundu SEZ, which is located in Likoni last year.
The second SEZ facility is planned for construction on a 600 acre land at Miritini. This is according to the county government of Mombasa and the TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), who are partnering to actualize the project.
“We are partnering with TMEA for the construction of a SEZ in Miritini which is now at feasibility study stage” William Kingi, Mombasa County deputy governor early this year.
According to Mombasa county, the Miritini project will also serve to make up for business and job losses occasioned by the operationalisation of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo transport.
”We all know that the SGR issue has negatively impacted our economy and so we must look to diversification for sustainability,” Kingi added.
The Dongo Kundu SEZ in Likoni is being designed to be a multi-sectoral zone comprises of Industrial Parks, Free Trade Zones/Free Port, Dongo Kundu Port, Tourism Zone (MICE), Business Service Parks; and Commercial and Residential Zone.
The SEZ will be developed in three phases with the first phase expected to be ready by 2023 and is projected to inject into the Kenya’s economy Sh400 billion in local and foreign direct investments and create more than 100,000 jobs.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, in October last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta said that the Dongo Kundu SEZ will herald a milestone transformation in the coastal region and will further promote the “Buy Kenya, Build Kenya” philosophy.
The Dongo Kundu SEZ is designed to support the development of the blue economy and is primed to host mega factories that will add value to Kenyan raw materials, including cash crops, fruits and vegetables.
