Issue: #1 2020 March SOUTH SUDAN

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE NORTHERNCONGO CORRIDORDIGEST For an Efficient, Smart and Green Corridor UGANDA

RWANDA

BURUNDI KENYA

DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020Y 1 Positive Corridor Performance Trajectories for most indica- tors during the year 2019

Analyzed and reliable data from the Northern Corridor structure development around the Port of Mombasa Transport Observatory which is a performance moni- and in the Northern Corridor Member States, the Stan- toring tool with an online platform that currently tracks dard Gauge Railway and the implementation of the over forty (40) performance indicators reveal consis- Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System along the tent positive trends on most indicators throughout the corridor. year 2019 with maritime indicators performing partic- ularly well. However, there are still rooms for improve- The Corridor Performance Indicators are categorized ments as most initiatives are being enhanced. into 7 groups namely; Volume and Capacity (11 indica- tors), Productivity and Efficiency (11 indicators), Time Key among the improvement enablers are road infra- and Delays (5 indicators), Transport Cost and rates

A cargo ship arrives at the Port of Mombasa

(7 indicators), Transport Infrastructure (8 indicators), the capacity of 18,000 TEUs and New Panamx with Road safety (4 indicators) and Intraregional Trade (8 12,500 TEUs. indicators). Ship Turnaround Time is an indicator which is mea- The Transport Observatory indicates that from 2016 to sured from the time the ship arrives at the port area 2019, Waiting Time before berth has been within the (Fairway Buoy) to the time it leaves the port area. It set target of 24 hours between four (4) hours and 12 comprises of the ship waiting time and the ship work- hours. The sustained improvements were enabled by ing time (time when the vessel is being offloaded or the massive development of Infrastructure around the loaded with cargo). Port of Mombasa, new and sufficient equipment and implementation of fixed berthing window. Stakeholders The Ship Turnaround performance is partly attributed are in agreement that the trend should be sustained to availability of equipment, improved productivity of and the set target should be reviewed to be around 10 the gangs and the implementation of Fixed Berthing hours. Window by Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

Ship Waiting Time before Berth is an indicator which is Average Container Dwell Time at the Port of Mombasa measured from the time the Ship arrives at the fairway has seen a steady decrease in 2019: 87 hours from buoy to the time of its first berth. It is a subset of the 108 hours in 2015. The Northern Corridor Transport Ship turnaround time. Observatory reveals also that in 2019, fifty per cent of Containers were picked up within an average of 2.2 The Median Ship Turnaround Time has been of 3.7 days which is a decrease from 2.8 days in 2018 against days in 2019 and 3.2 days in 2018 slightly beyond the the set target of 3 days. set target of 3 days. The Port of Mombasa received new generation of bigger ships such as Triple E with Container Dwell Time at the Port of Mombasa refers

2 THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020 to the period from the time cargo is offloaded at the SIMBA System instability, Document Volumes awaiting Port to the time goods leave the port premises after all between the Shifts, Quality of Declaration by Clearing clearances have been obtained. Agents, etc.

Delay after Customs Release which refers to the pe- The Document Processing Time refers to the time tak- riod it takes to evacuate the cargo from the port of en by Customs to pass an entry lodged by a Clearing Mombasa after it is officially released by Customs has Agent. been fluctuating between 32 hours in June 2019 and 42 hours in December 2019. This delay contributes the The Transport Observatory indicates that the set target biggest proportion of the Port Dwell Time. It’s mostly of 24 hours for One Stop Centre Clearance Time is far attributed to the Private Sector (Clearing Agents, Im- to be reached partly due to Delays in joint verifications, porters, etc.). Tests, Late payments by Clearing Agents and Late sub- mission of amended Customs entries. The Transport Observatory reveals that Time taken by Customs Clearance at the Document Processing Cen- One Stop Centre Clearance Time is the average time ter ranged between 1.9 hours in September 2019 to between passing of Customs Entry and issuance of re- 2.6 hours in May 2019 against one hour target. The lease order. Poor performance was attributed among others to

A cargo ship arrives at the Port of Mombasa Gross Vehicle Load and the Vehicle Axle Load Limits Compliance is above 90% at most of the Weighbridges in Kenya.

Container Dwell Time at the Port of Mombasa refers in Kenya from Mombasa to Malaba, Busia and Kisumu. to the period from the time cargo is offloaded at the Port to the time goods leave the port premises after all Compliance level to Gross Vehicle load limits in Ugan- clearances have been obtained. da vary between 99.6-100% at Lukaya, Luwero, Mag-

Delay after Customs Release which refers to the pe- amaga, Mbale and Mubende weighbridges. However, riod it takes to evacuate the cargo from the port of Compliance levels on Axle Load Limits are still less than Mombasa after it is officially released by Customs has 19% at all weighbridges in Uganda. been fluctuating between 32 hours in June 2019 and 42 hours in December 2019. This delay contributes the From January to December 2019, the Transport Obser- biggest proportion of the Port Dwell Time. It’s mostly attributed to the Private Sector (Clearing Agents, Im- vatory indicates that the Annual average Transit Time porters, etc.). from Mombasa to Malaba was 5.8 days (140 h) and 6.8 days (164 hrs h) to Busia. The distance from Mombasa

Vehicle Load Compliance as an indicator which mea- to Malaba and Busia is 933 Km and 947 Km, respec- sures the percentage of trucks that comply with the tively. Gross Vehicle Load and the Vehicle Axle Load Limits reveals that Compliance is above 90% at Mariakani, Athi-River, Gilgil and Webuye and between 75-86% at Busia weighbridges. This good performance is attribut- ed among others to the Self Regulatory Charter signed in 2014 and the awareness and sensitization campaigns carried out along the Northern Corridor Road sections

THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020Y 3 ECOWAS Benchmarks with the NCTTCA on the Establish- ment of Transport Observatories

From 18th to 20th February 2020, the Economic Com- Established in 2011, the Northern Corridor Transport munity of West African States (ECOWAS) through a Observatory is a performance monitoring tool with an consultant attached to its Infrastructure Department, online platform that currently tracks over forty (40) Mr. Mukupa Chongo paid a working visit to the Northern performance indicators of the Mombasa Port and the Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority entire Corridor. Since 2012, the Transport Observatory (NCTTCA) in Mombasa, Kenya, to gather information is financed by TradeMark East Africa (TMEA). on the establishment, evolution and management of Transport Observatories. The Transport Observatory has seen notable achieve- ments including enhanced efficiency of the Port of The Consultant’s main interest was in understanding Mombasa and expansion of the container terminals at the operational set up, legal set up and framework, the port, that have led to increased cargo throughput. and the system set up for the Northern Corridor Trans- In addition, improvement of infrastructure and reduc- port Observatory. The shared knowledge and best tion of barriers to transport and trade have led to en- practices were to enable him propose the best practic- hanced efficiency along the Corridor. es to ECOWAS to inform the establishment of its Road Transport Observatory. Among initiatives undertaken are, Single Customs Territory, installation of High-Speed Weigh in Motion, construction of One Stop Border Posts (OSBPS), au- tomation of business processes, development of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and improvement of the road conditions.

Mr. Mukupa also visited the Port of Mombasa and in- teracted with different agencies involved with the op- eration of the port among them Kenya Port Authority, different Revenue Authorities seated at the port; Kenya Transporters Association among others.

During a meeting with ECOWAS consultant in NCTTCA ECOWAS consultant thanked the NCTTCA for hosting Boardroom him and facilitating his engagements with other trade and transport facilitation agencies. The ECOWAS’s Mukupa commended the NCTTCA Sec- retariat for the professional work and noted that as one of the earliest Transport Observatory in Africa, the Northern Corridor Transport Observatory serves as a key reference point for new observatories in the region.

Inter-Corridor Forum to discuss the implementation of Af- CFTA Agreements

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN- by UNECA’s Adeyinka Adeyemi led delegation with the ECA) and the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport NCTTCA Staff led by the Executive Secretary, Omae Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) agreed to convene Nyarandi. The UNECA’s Adeyinka was accompanied by an international forum that will attract the Transit and Ms. Betty Loko and Mr. George Okoth, Program Officers Transport Corridors in Africa to exchange best prac- at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NE- tices and roles of the Corridors in the effective imple- PAD), Kenya. mentation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreements. The mission of the UNECA delegation’s two day work- ing visit at the NCTTCA was to share facts on trade The Inter-Corridor forum came as one of the outcomes policy advocacy in Transit and Transport Corridors. of a two day meeting held at the NCTTCA Secretariat in Mombasa, Kenya, from 12th to 13th February 2020, Key to their mission was to understand how customs

4 THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020 are facilitated while maintaining Member States com- and into , with regard to the inspection sys- pliance; the connection of the Northern Corridor to the tem. Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project; the role of transit Corridors in the UNECA delegation commended the Northern Corridor implementation of the African Continental Free Trade for its efforts in trade and transport facilitation through Area (AfCFTA) Agreements; and the use of technology the Transport Observatory and proposed that NCTTCA to enhance trade Facilitation. as one of the oldest and efficient corridors to convene an inter-corridor forum in Africa to exchange ideas on Other issues were also discussed on how to guarantee the implementation of AfCFTA and how the corridors safety of goods in transit using Information Communi- can enhance it. UNECA’s Adeyinka pledged support for cation Technology (ICT); and how to explore a short the forum. route to , and Congo through Taveta

Northern Corridor Agreement Review Reaches the Valida- tion Phase

From 11th to 12th March 2020, more than a hundred The Agreement is currently under review to incorpo- Public and Private Sector Stakeholders in the Northern rate the new policy developments in the region such Corridor Member States are expected to converge in as implementation of vehicle load control limit, de- Mombasa, Kenya, to validate the revised Agreement velopment of standard gauge railway, to unify cross and related protocols before their adoption by the Au- border transport regulations, customs provisions and thority’s Executive Committee and Council of Ministers. trade standards across the Member States in support of regional integration and implementation of the Afri- ca Continental Free Trade Area among others.

Special Envoy to the African Union on Infrastructure Hon. Raila Odinga and memders of the NCTTCA Council of Ministers During its 37th session held on July 2019 in Mombasa, Kenya

The Northern Corridor is a multimodal surface transport trade among Member States. system linking the Great Lakes countries of Burundi, D.R. Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda to the The Agreement is anchored on economic, social and Kenya seaport of Mombasa. The transport modes of environmental pillars of sustainable transport coupled the Corridor encompass road, rail, pipeline and inland with 11 protocols for regional cooperation. waterways transport. The corridor also serves Northern Tanzania, Somalia and Ethiopia. The entire corridor road network covers approximately 12,711 Km in length distributed as follows; 1,328 Km The Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordina- in Kenya, 2,072 km in Uganda, 1,039 km in Rwanda, tion Authority (NCTTCA) was established through an 567 km in Burundi, 4,162 km in DRC and 3,543 km in Agreement that was first signed in 1985 and revised South Sudan. in 2007 with a view of facilitating interstate and transit

THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020Y 5 The main arterial cargo highway runs from the port city amount of cargo and people use river and lake trans- of Mombasa through Nairobi and Kampala to Kisangani port to facilitate trade and movement of people. Cur- in eastern DRC. Tributaries branch off to Mwanza, Ad- rently, the ferry links in Lake Victoria and the ongo- dis Ababa, Juba, and . ing development of Oil Jetty at Kisumu (Kenya) and Kawuku (Uganda) will enhance the utilization of the The Corridor has two major rail networks: The Stan- East African Inland Waterways. dard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the Meter Gauge Rail- way (MGR). The meter gauge rail network runs from The importance of accomplishing a seamless flow of Mombasa Sea Port through Nairobi, Malaba, and Kam- cargo along the Northern Corridor was recognized pala to Kasese in Western Uganda, close to the border heavily, when His Excellency, the President Uhuru Ken- with the Democratic Republic of Congo. A branch line yatta, launched the initial Mombasa Port Community radiates from Nakuru to Kisumu on Lake Victoria, from Charter in 2014. The aim of the Charter was to estab- where rail wagon ferries link to the railway system in lish a permanent framework of collaboration, binding Uganda at Port Bell. port community stakeholders to specific actions, collec- tive obligations, service delivery targets and timelines. Another rail branch line runs from Tororo in Eastern Through its implementation, in the last four years, Uganda to Pakwach in the Northern Uganda, from tremendous improvements have been witnessed in ar- where river steamers used to provide links with Ni- eas such as port and corridor infrastructure, transport mule in South Sudan. The SGR currently link the port connectivity and automation, reduced cargo clearance of Mombasa to the Kenyan town of Naivasha, through times, ship turnaround times, transit time along the Nairobi. Northern Corridor and the overall logistics cost.

The oil pipeline runs from Mombasa through Nairobi However, with time, authorities noted that while some and Nakuru to Kisumu and Eldoret in western Kenya, targets were achieved, others appeared to have been from where the land locked countries access their fuel overtaken by changes in infrastructure, systems, pro- imports. cesses and policies that impacted on operations and cargo clearance processes. It was also noted that the Charter had omitted key stakeholders who needed to be part of the process.

In response to these developments, Mombasa Port and Northern Corridor Community Charter 2018-2024 was developed and proclaims the desire of the Mombasa Port and Northern Corridor community to realize the full trade facilitation. The Charter is a culmination of extensive consultations with private and public sector stakeholders, including government agencies, the busi- ness community, civil society organizations and special interest groups, on the upgrading and improvement of logistics services.

SGR Train enroute to Mombasa The reviewed Charter has also generated smarter goals, better performance indicators and inclusion of performance indicators for a wider range of service The current installed pipeline system consists of 1,342 providers. The review has strengthened the Charter or- Km of pipeline with capacity to handle about 6.9 billion gans to enable greater involvement of top government litres of petroleum products annually with 8 depots on offices and other stakeholders and improved coordina- the network. In addition, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) tion of the monitoring and evaluation process. has constructed inland container depots (ICDs) at Nai- robi, Kisumu and Eldoret. These depots are linked to Therefore, successful implementation of the Charter the Mombasa Port container terminal by a rail-trainer will go a long way towards making Mombasa the re- service. Imports are delivered directly from Mombasa gion’s port of choice and the Northern Corridor a glob- to the depots on a Through Bill of Lading, while exports ally competitive route. can also be consolidated at the ICDs and railed to the Port for shipping.

The Corridor’s Inland Waterways plays an important role in facilitating transport in the Member States. Al- though they are not being fully utilized, a significant

6 THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020 USD49.29 mn for the rehabilitation of Bujumbura Port

In February 2020, the Burundi Ministers in charge of of Unit of Account (UA)36.79 million (USD49.29 mil- Finance and Transport signed a memorandum of un- lion). derstanding (MoU) with the African Development Bank The project has five components including the rehabil- (AfDB) Group for the financing of the Project of the itation of Bujumbura Port and Access Roads;Port Facil- Department of Transport Corridor on , ities;Institutional Support and Capacity Building;Trade dubbed Phase I of the rehabilitation of Bujumbura Port. and Transport Facilitation; and Project Management.

According to the signed MoU, “The rehabilitation of The port of Bujumbura was built in the 1950s. It is Bujumbura Port is expected to reduce import/export the first port of Lake Tanganyika in front of the port of costs by about 30%; improve the service level and pro- Mpulungu in , Kalemie in the Democratic Re- ductivity by reducing port of call times for vessels and public of Congo and in Tanzania. increasing the capacity of terminals. This phase will The port of Bujumbura is situated at the north-eastern allow the development of economic opportunities and tip of the lake and lies between the industrial zone and an entrepreneurial network along Bujumbura Port; and the central business district of Bujumbura. The port is about a 20% increase in cross-border trade with coun- operated by a private company (Global Port Services tries bordering the Lake”. Burundi), in which the Government of Burundi has a 9 The implementation of Phase I activities of the project percent share, under a concession agreement with the will be spread over a period of 5 years from January Burundi Maritime, Port and Railway Authority (AMPF). 2020 to December 2024, with an estimated total cost

Conceptual plan of the Port of Bujumbura In 2016, a basic development study of the port of Bu- jumbura conducted by ARTELIA, a French design firm Project will boost regional integration and significantly specializing in engineering, predicted that traffic at reduce trade costs between riparian countries (Burun- Bujumbura Port would reach nearly 600,000 tonnes in di, DRC, Tanzania, and Zambia). 2030. The traffic was estimated at 104,900 tonnes in 2015 and it was expected to reach 296,100 tonnes in Multimodal links with Northern and Central Corridor 2020 and 462,900 tonnes in 2025. roads and railways will provide greater transport con- nectivity with other countries in the sub-region, such Initial port development consisted of the construction as Uganda and Rwanda. of a piled pier of some 200 meters in length, which to- gether with a rubble mounded breakwater (the south- The project will, therefore, unlock Lake Tanganyika’s ern breakwater) forms the entrance to a dredged basin potential as an inland waterway and provide a platform within which the port facilities are located. The inner that will link the Northern, Central and Southern Cor- port basin has an area of approximately 32,000m2, ridors. with a quay of 375 meters in length on the southern edge. Given its geostrategic location, it has significant eco- nomic potential, fostering trade in a wide range of ag- The Lake Tanganyika Transport Corridor Development ricultural and fishery products and building materials.

THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020Y 7 Empowered Joint Border Committees, Key for Enhanced Collaboration at Border Crossing Stations

A Multi-Agency team comprising the Public and Private at Gatumba/Kavimvira border, Bujumbura, Rubavu/ Sector Stakeholders from the Northern Corridor Mem- Goma border, Rusumo border and Kigali. The Team ber States of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, had also an opportunity to survey the transit sections Kenya and Rwanda, in December 2019, embarked on of Bujumbura-Ngonzi-Gasenyi/Nemba, Nemba-Kigali, a ten day sensitization campaign to promote the Com- Kigali-Rubavu/Goma and Kigali-Rusumo. mon Guidelines for the Institutionalisation and Forma- tion of Joint Border Committees and sensitization of During the ten day mission, three stakeholders’ sen- the border communities on how to strengthen func- sitization workshops on use of the shorter alternative tioning of those committees along the Transit route route to Mombasa from Burundi, DRC and Rwanda linking the Northern and Central Corridors. during which some of the challenges being faced by the truckers along this route were highlighted. The The Stakeholders team held sensitization workshops

A Multi-Agency Stakeholders Team from Burundi, DRC, Kenya and Rwanda, during the Sensitization Campaign for the Joint Border Committees’ empowerment. During the ten day mission, three stakeholders’ sen- challenges highlighted were not unique to this route sitization workshops on use of the shorter alternative but entire corridor networks. route to Mombasa from Burundi, DRC and Rwanda during which some of the challenges being faced by The Stakeholders team held sensitization workshops the truckers along this route were highlighted. The at Gatumba/Kavimvira border, Bujumbura, Rubavu/ challenges highlighted were not unique to this route Goma border, Rusumo border and Kigali. The Team but entire corridor networks. had also an opportunity to survey the transit sections of Bujumbura-Ngonzi-Gasenyi/Nemba, Nemba-Kigali, The status of the alternative transit route is that the Kigali-Rubavu/Goma and Kigali-Rusumo. roads have been paved to bitumen standards, the bor- der stations along the route; Taveta/Holili, Kobero/ Kabanga, Rusumo and Rubavu/Goma have been de- veloped to OSBPs. The customs business processes have been automated and there is use of a Regional Customs Transit Guarantee (RCTG), implementation of Single Customs Territory (SCT) framework for clear- ance of goods and use of a Regional Electronic Car- go Tracking System (R-ECTS) to track goods transiting from their origin to destination.

The benefits of the alternative shorter transit route to Mombasa from Burundi, Rwanda and DRC also includes reduction in distance to be covered by truckers by The Stakeholders sensitisation Team at Gatumba/Kavimvira 400km for the case of Bujumbura and Uvira and 200km Border Station between Burundi and DRC

8 THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020 for the case of Kigali and Goma for a one-way trip. For Burundi and Uvira, the Road User Charges are also re- a return trip the reduction in distance to be covered duced by over 40% i.e. by USD 304 for a return jour- doubles to 800km and 400km respectively compared ney to Mombasa. The number of border crossing points to the traditional transit route through Malaba. also reduces by one.

Furthermore, there are fewer big towns to traverse The Stakeholders team was comprised of the public using the alternative route hence avoiding traffic jams and private sector stakeholders involved in the handling and considerably reducing transit time and amount of and clearance of goods along the Northern and Central fuel consumed by the trucks. For transporters from Corridors led by NCTTCA Secretariat, namely; Kenya

The Stakeholders sensitisation Team at Rubavu/Goma Border Crossing Station between Rwanda and DRC

Ports Authority, Shippers Council of East Africa, East da, Kenya Transporters Association, Kenya Freight For- African Community Secretariat, Kenya Maritime Au- warders and Warehousing Association (KIFWA), Kenya thority, Office Controle du Congolais (OCC-DRC), Ken- National Police Services and Rwanda National Police ya National Highways Authority, Ministry in charge of and Revenue Authorities. Transport in Burundi, Ministry of Infrastructure-Rwan-

Northern Corridor Stakeholders to discuss the harmonisa- tion of Regional IRI Data Collection Technologies

From 9th to 11th March 2020, more than 80 delegates region. Road fatalities present a significant impediment from Northern Corridor Member States will converge in to the achievement of some of the key development Nairobi, Kenya, for a three day Validation workshop on goals of the East African Community (EAC) such as the harmonisation of Regional International Roughness expansion of health capacities owing to big drain on Index (IRI) Data Collection Technologies and adopt the national resources allocated to health. The African road Reports of the Black Spots Surveys along the Corridor safety performance target aims to reduce road related Routes in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda with the aim to fatalities by 50% by the year 2020. implement the NCTTCA Policy Organs’ directive on “Im- provement of safety in all transport modes” in order to In Kenya, road crash statistics from the National facilitate safer transport across the Northern Corridor Transport and Safety Authority show that an average region. of 3,000 lives are lost annually with thousands more injured from road accidents. The World Health Or- Road Safety has posed one of the major challenges ganisation in its 2015 Global Status Report on Road along the Corridor with numerous studies showing that Safety ranked Kenya’s roads amongst the most dan- road traffic accidents along the route constitute a sig- gerous in the world claiming an average of 29.1 lives nificant loss of human lives and property within the per 100,000 people. The crashes are mainly attributed

THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020Y 9 to human error as well as other factors such as unsafe ing as narrow as 6m; two-lane, two-way; against the road designs, poor condition of vehicles, unsafe road accepted road shoulder width of 2m according to East user behaviour, inadequate infrastructure for non-mo- African Highway Design Standards. torized traffic and missing or ineffective road signage. A rounded number of 750 fatalities per year put Rwan- The Northern Corridor has one hundred and ninety nine da at a level of 7 fatalities per 100,000 population and (199) black spots in Kenya based on a survey conduct- 50 fatalities per 10,000 motor vehicles. ed jointly by Safe Way Right Way (SWRW), National transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Kenya National Rwanda scores significantly better than its neighbour- Highways Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Urban Roads Au- ing countries which all show figures in the range of thority (KURA) and Kenya Police on the Northern Corri- 20-30 fatalities per 100,000 populations (according to dor and Nairobi County dated May, 2017. WHO data). Strict enforcement of the use of safety belts in cars and the wearing of helmets by motorcycle drivers and passenger greatly contributes to this better performance without any doubt.

However, in terms of fatalities per 10,000 vehicles, Rwanda has a relatively high incidence of fatalities (50) due to a comparatively small motor vehicle fleet; the score is at the same level as Uganda (also around 50), significantly better than Ethiopia (about 70), but way behind European countries like Netherlands and Swe- den.

In Uganda, on average, the Country loses 10 people Assessment of a 2.7 km stretch Gitaru-Rungi black spot, per day in road traffic crashes, which is the highest where 117 crashes occurred on A104 highway. level in East Africa. The overall annual cost of road An inter-agency survey on priority black spots by the crashes is currently estimated at approximately UGX Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA), KeNHA, National Transport NTSA Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) and the Kenya Traffic Police in March 2019 prioritized the first ten (10) black spots among the thirty (30) ranked from a study by KeNHA undertaken by SMEC consultants to rank Hazardous/Black spots along Corridor in September, 2016.

These priority black spots in Kenya; Mukinya- Migaa- Sobea- Salgaa-Sachangwan; Gitaru- Rungiri; Kibara- ni- Makupa Causeway; Molem- Nambakana-Nyamasar- ia- Kasagam; Emali- Pipeline; Bonje; Maji Ya Chumvi; Assessment of a 2.7 km stretch W black spot, where 117 Konza- Malili; Ngokomi- Kalimbini; and Mlolongo were crashes occurred on A104 highway. ranked based on three (3) high crash location identifi- cation criteria including crash frequency, crash rate and 4.4 trillion ($1.2 billion), representing 5% of Uganda’s crash severity and intensity. gross domestic product (GDP). Although the country has a robust regulatory transport framework in place, In Rwanda, against the projected twenty six (26) pre- various challenges compromise the implementation of determined black spots along the main routes of NR-1, such policies and regulations, leading to inefficient ser- NR-2 and NR-3, the team surveyed twenty eight (28) vice provision. hazardous spots in total having identified two more along Kigali-Katuna route. The entire country and, in particular, Kampala city, is served by an unregulated public transport system, A general observation was that all the main roads in with most of the vehicles in poor mechanical condi- Rwanda are in a well-maintained condition with no tion, coupled with poor driving skills that contribute to signs of distressed pavement or failing road shoulders road crashes. Most vehicles operate largely outside the along the routes surveyed. However, there are chal- transport regulatory framework. The use of boda-boda lenges observed with the road design parameters. system in the cities and along busy routes has also Most roads’ lanes have less than generally accepted exacerbated the transport safety. 3.5m standard. In some cases, road carriageways go-

10 THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR DIGEST ISSUE # 1 MARCH 2020 “ For an Efficient, Smart and Green Corridor ”

1196, Links Road, Nyali, Mombasa-Kenya

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