KENYA SEEKS FINANCING FOR WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE FOOTBRIDGES

Kenya is seeking US $42m from two international
lenders to build what could be the world’s most expensive footbridges. Each of
the 5 steel bridges will cost an average of about US $8m; which is about four
times the price for similar pedestrian crossings put up over Thika Super
Highway.

Interways Construction Works, the contractor
building two overhead crossings on eight-lane Thika Road is doing the work for
$4.3m. This is cheaper than the one footbridge planned over the two-lane
Langata Road around T-Mall and four over the six-lane Mombasa Road.

Negotiations for the US $42m funding are still
going on. Details of the loan negotiations for the project and tens of others
have already been presented to the National Assembly’s Committee of Delegated
Legislation. One of the lenders, ICO is to provide US $26.6m on concessional
terms while the balance of US $16m is intended to be a commercial loan
from Spanish Bank BBVA.

The architectural designs of the expressway to be
built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation do not have any allowances for
footbridges. Among the reasons is that the expressway will be elevated several
metres, supported by 10-m pillars to sustain the traffic flow on the lower
deck. Despite this, the state has put pen to paper on the project although it
is clear that the steel footbridges are no longer tenable.

Already, the Kenya National Highways
Authority (KeNHA) Director
General Eng Peter Mundiani has indicated that the bridges intended for the
Mombasa Road stretch may have to be erected elsewhere. “The footbridges will
have to be moved elsewhere such as to Thika Road where we feel we need more,”
he said.

However, erecting the bridges at a different
location other than the intended ones as contained in the financial
negotiations is bound to have variations in costs.