A section of the bump-less Juba-Nimule highway | Credit | Eye Radio

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says his government has prioritized infrastructure development to South Sudan as part of boosting trade and relations.

In January, the World Bank approved 1.3 billion dollars for the construction of a 960-kilometer road that will link Eldoret in north-western Kenya to Juba.

Although South Sudan and Kenya signed various agreements on roads, railway and pipeline development, Uhuru Kenyatta said the two countries will invest first on linking Juba to the town of Eldoret by road:

“We will work jointly with respective ministries to ensure that it works, even with regard to sourcing the financing. We will do it as a joint project. And I’m personally convinced that the fact that the road has already now been designed by the World Bank, what we are now doing is securing funding for that.”

The two Presidents said implementation of the Juba – Eldoret tarmac road is expected to begin early as next year when funds are secured.

President Kenyatta also said they have agreed to speed up the implementation of the Lamu Port project jointly signed by South Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia.

The $23 billion Lamu Port and Lamu South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor, LAPSSET, is a transport and infrastructure project in Kenya that when complete will be the country’s second transport corridor.

With South Sudan being a landlocked state, it stands to benefit a lot form the project seen as an alternative to the ‘troublesome’ Port Sudan.