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EAC undertakes upgrading of Lwakhakha border into a one-stop border post to decongest Busia and Malaba border posts

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(L-R) EAC Principal Civil Engineer Godfrey Enzama, Team Leader of the consultancy firm carrying out the feasibility studies for the proposed highway, Engineer John Ukumu and Engineer Brian Shikoli of the Kenya National Highways Authority during the site visit of the Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia multinational highway.

Written in Posted in Infrastructure

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 19 July 2024:The East African Community (EAC), together with the Republics of Kenya and Uganda, are in the process of upgrading the Lwakhakha Border Post on the common border between the two partner States into a single window border post, as part of efforts to reduce congestion at the Busia and Malaba single window border posts.

The transformation of the Lwakhakha border into an OSBP aims to streamline customs procedures, reduce clearance times for goods and vehicles, and improve collaboration between Kenyan and Ugandan border agencies.


The upgrade is expected to reduce traffic at the Malaba and Busia OSBPs, boost trade along the Northern Corridor and improve cross-border security.

The initiative is a testament to the EAC’s commitment to fostering and promoting cross-border cooperation between the two countries. By implementing the OSBP concept at the Lwakhakha border, the two countries are preparing to create a more conducive environment for trade and exchange, which will ultimately benefit businesses and communities on both sides of the border.

During a site visit to review the status of the ongoing feasibility study of the Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia multinational highway, on behalf of the EAC Deputy Secretary-General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Honourable Aguer Ariik Malueth, Engineer Godfrey A. Enzama, Principal Civil Engineer, EAC Secretariat, said the upgrading of the Lwakhakha Border Post into a toll road is part of the feasibility study of the 256km African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded project.

EAC Secretariat Senior Civil Engineer, Engineer Godfrey Enzama, speaks during the joint meeting between the EAC delegation, the Kenya National Roads Authority, the Uganda National Roads Authority and the Kenya-Uganda Malaba Border Post. Seated from left to right are EAC Senior Materials and Pavements Engineer, Engineer Suleiman Athumani, Engineer Hosea Nyangweso (also from the EAC Secretariat) and Engineer Edward Byaruhanga from the Uganda National Roads Authority.

Engineer Enzama, who represented the EAC Secretary, Her Excellency Veronica Nduva, at the event, revealed that the EAC is working closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Lwakhakha Border Modernisation Project.

“This collaborative effort underscores the shared vision of promoting trade facilitation, border security and regional integration in East Africa,” said Enzama.

The EAC official said upgrading Lwakhakha to OSBP status and diverting some of the trucks to Lwakhakha will solve numerous problems such as congestion at both Busia and Malaba, besides creating an alternative and shorter route along the Northern Corridor.

“Geographically, Lwakhakha is a shorter route to Kenya compared to Busia and Malaba in terms of mileage,” said Engineer Enzama.

Engineer Enzama said the promotion of Lwakhakha in OSBP will enhance value addition and promotion of high value exports to regional markets, and increase employment among the youth of the border community, among other stakeholders.

Malaba Single Border Post. Kenyan and Ugandan officials during the meeting in Malaba.

The feasibility study set out to upgrade the existing 25km Lwakhakha – Kimaeti Road commencing in Kimaeti at Webuye – Malaba (Kenya side) and the 45km Mbale (Bumbobi) – Lwakhakha Road (Uganda side) to at least a two-lane, two-way single carriageway status, with wide shoulders, to improve capacity and accommodate current and anticipated future local and cross-border traffic volumes along the corridor.

The road is expected to deepen regional integration and cross-border trade between Kenya and Uganda, and will provide an alternative route in addition to the Busia and Malaba border crossings. The road is also expected to open doors to tourism.

Notes to editors:

Feasibility studies for the 256km Kisumu-Kisian-Busia/Kakira-Malaba-Busitema-Busia multinational highway are currently underway under consultancy GOPA Infra GmbH of Germany together with ITEC Limited of Kenya.

The highway linking Kisumu in Kenya to Kakira, a town in Jinja District, Uganda, will involve upgrading the existing two-lane single carriageway to bitumen standards and transforming it into a two-lane dual carriageway over a 104km stretch.

The $1.4 million feasibility study project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) will determine the economic viability of upgrading existing single-carriageway multinational highway sections to highway standards.

The highway is part of the Northern Corridor upgrades, which offer landlocked East African nations quicker access to the port of Mombasa. It is also part of the Mombasa-Kigali Highway, which was given priority at the EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure Development held in February 2018 in Kampala.

The rehabilitation of the EAC Northern Corridor is expected to contribute to strengthening road infrastructure in the region to accelerate regional integration and stimulate cross-border trade. The draft feasibility study and preliminary design report will be submitted to the EAC Secretariat in December 2024.

For more information, contact:

Simon Peter Owaka
Senior Public Relations OfficerDepartment of Corporate Communications and Public AffairsEAC SecretariatArusha, TanzaniaPhone: +255 768 552087Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About the East African Community Secretariat:

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organization of eight (8) Partner States, comprising the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, with headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The Federal Republic of Somalia was admitted into the EAC bloc by the EAC Heads of State Summit held on 24 June.He November 2023 and became a full member on 4thHe March 2024.