Kenya has now assumed what Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport Davis Chirchir describes as “a decisive leadership role in shaping the future of regional transport and trade infrastructure” following the 37th Meeting of the Northern Corridor Council of Ministers, held on 11th July 2025 in Nairobi. According to Chirchir, “Kenya is stepping forward not as a passive coordinator, but as an active architect of East Africa’s transport corridors and trade facilitation strategies.”
Central to Kenya’s agenda is the rapid expansion and modernization of critical road networks that serve as arteries of regional trade. “From Mombasa to Nairobi, Eldoret, Malaba, and extending into Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the DRC, the message is clear: we must build and modernize, not tomorrow, but today,” Chirchir emphasized. He added, “These corridors are the lifelines of East Africa’s economies. Reducing transit times and transport costs through modern roads is not optional—it’s mandatory for our survival in a competitive global market.”
Equally high on Kenya’s priority list is the elimination of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that continue to strangle intra-regional trade. “The bottlenecks at the Kenya-South Sudan border are unacceptable,” stated Principal Secretary Mohamed Daghar of the State Department for Transport. “We are leading a regional call to action to dismantle these barriers and address the insecurity in South Sudan that continues to destabilize supply chains.”
In terms of port infrastructure, Kenya is taking a bold stance. “Ports like Mombasa, Lamu, and Kisumu cannot operate like relics of the past,” said Chirchir. “We are prioritizing modernization investments to cut ship turnaround times, reduce cargo dwell times, and position Kenya’s ports as the leading logistics hubs for East Africa.” He added, “Landlocked countries depend on our ports. We owe them efficiency.”
Acknowledging the integral role of security in trade facilitation, Chirchir pointedly remarked, “There is no trade without security. Kenya will not shy away from leading joint regional efforts to secure corridors, especially in conflict-prone areas like South Sudan.”
At the Nairobi meeting, Kenya led the adoption of the 2025/2026 budget and work plan for the Northern Corridor, setting what Daghar called “clear, bold, and practical interventions aimed at unlocking this region’s vast trade potential.”
While Uganda formally passed the council chairmanship to Burundi’s Minister Marie Chantal Nijimbere, and the DRC took up the role of deputy chair, Kenya’s assertive leadership remains undeniable. “Through the State Department for Transport, Kenya is not just participating—it is driving this agenda,” Daghar concluded. “Our role is to ensure that practical solutions are not only proposed but implemented. Nairobi is now the engine of regional transport integration.”
This article was published by Githua Kihara, an editorial consultant for FEAFFA’s Freight Logistics Magazine. For any inquiries, please contact us via email at editorial@feaffa.com or freightlogistics@feaffa.com, or reach out to Andrew Onionga directly at onionga@feaffa.com / +254733780240.
