European Union in Kenya delegates; Erik Habers (Head of Cooperation) accompanied by Walter Tretton (Head of Infrastructure) and Juliet Chelimo (Asst. Programme Manager, Infrastructure) will be attending the event to mark the laying of the last tarmac mile on the Merille River-Marsabit Road. Joining them will be Infrastructure PS Eng. John Mosonik. The event will take place on November 17, 2016 in Marsabit town at 9:30 a.m.

The entire road from Isiolo to Moyale (500km) has been completed and most of it is open to traffic. The construction of this road corridor was done in 4 parts with financing from EU, GoK and AfDB.

The section between Merille and Marsabit Town, financed by the EU, is at its final stages with the last mile being tarmacked in November 2016. The Merille River-Marsabit Road forms part of the transport corridor linking the Port of Mombasa, Nairobi and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. It is also part of the Trans East African Corridor from Cairo (Egypt) to Gaborone (Botswana) and Cape Town, South Africa.

Financed at a total cost of Ksh13.7 billion with EU contribution of €88,200,000 (about Ksh9.8 billion), the project aims to reduce transport and shipping costs between Kenya and Ethiopia and significantly enhance trade between these countries. It will considerably improve living standards and enhance economic growth, especially among the youth in Marsabit, Moyale and the Borana Zone in Ethiopia, borderland regions often categorised as marginalised and particularly vulnerable to instability.

For Journalists interested in covering this event, send a confirmation to delegation-kenya-communication-press@eeas.europa.eu and copy Sheila.BETT@ext.eeas.europa.eu or call 020- 280 2204/ 0705 951 364.