By Akanimo Sampson
Kenya and Tanzania are still pressing ahead with their joint gas pipeline project. They have already formally agreed to start working on a Dar es Salaam-Mombasa gas pipeline.
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and her Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta, announced in Nairobi that they have agreed to build more interconnecting infrastructure, starting with a gas pipeline and roads. This is part of a long-term project to share energy resources.
Their pact on Cooperation in Natural Gas Transportation means respective Ministers of Energy can start negotiating the design, cost and other logistical needs for the pipeline to be built. This will enhance “energy sufficiency” with Kenya keen on importing gas from Tanzania’s nascent plant.“That is a long-term project and we are thankful that today we have signed an agreement and what remains is implementation.
”We have agreed on the need to ease the transportation of key energy resources and we have reached one such understanding on the transportation of gas. ”What we need to do now is start implementing the Dar es Salaam-Mombasa gas pipeline project”, says President Hassan.President Kenyatta said the two countries also agreed to strengthen their connectivity through new roads, aviation and maritime transport with an aim of boosting economic growth.
“We will strengthen aviation, railway, sea and lake transport as well as roads. We also discussed the need to hasten the construction of the Malindi-Lungalunga-Bagamoyo Road to ease movement of goods and people”, he said.
“We also agree that we will work on resumption of transportation services on Lake Victoria, which were useful in the movement of people and goods from Jinja to Kisumu and to Mwanza and Bukoba”, adds President Kenyatta.
