How did a $12 million Chinese built bridge collapse in Kenya?
by Briana Duggan, CNN
Updated 1029 GMT (1829 HKT) July 4, 2017
$12 million Chinese-built Sigiri bridge in Western Kenya collapsed before it was completed. President Uhuru Kenyatta inspected the project two weeks before the collapse.
Story highlights
- President Uhuru Kenyatta recently inspected the $12 million Sigiri bridge
- It was built in the West Kenya region that has been ignored by successive administrations
- President Kenyatta's Jubilee Coalition is prioritizing infrastructure ahead of August presidential election.
(CNN)It was an embarrassing collapse for Kenya's ruling party.
On June 26, just two weeks after an "inspection" by President Uhuru Kenyatta, a $12 million Chinese-built Sigiri bridge in Western Kenya collapsed before it was completed.
Built by the Chinese Overseas Construction and Engineering Company in Busia County, the bridge connects a region that has historically lacked government investment and development. Around a dozen people died on the river after a boat capsized while attempting to cross in 2014.
President Kenyatta's Jubileee Coalition has made infrastructure development a key pillar of its reelection strategy ahead of the coming presidential election.
On June 14, he made a campaign stop at the Sigiri bridge construction site and spoke to crowds gathered along the river.
He promised the bridge would bring development that the region had been denied for decades.
"There is a big difference between those who will sell to you propaganda and people who will sell to you real agenda for change," President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement posted on the
Presidency website.
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Highways – Highways are another key component of Lapsset, with hundreds of kilometers of pristine, new road laid to facilitate transport of goods and people.
The Isiolo -- Marsabit -- Moyale stretch (above) has been completed, connecting to Ethiopia, and facilitating travel to Kenya's safari parks.
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Resort cities – The LAPSSET project will also see three resort cities constructed in Lamu, Isiolo and Lokichogio.
The new sites will be pitched at affluent visitors -- with luxury hotels, entertainment and wildlife reserves.
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Konza Tech City – The much-hyped
Konza Tech City - or "Silicon Savannah" - is hoped to be a world-class hub of entrepreneurship.
The $15 billion site, set in 5,000 acres to the south of Nairobi, will accommodate almost 200,000 people, complete with universities, research facilities, and IT centers.
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Konza Tech City – Several delays have marred the project and discouraged some investors, but the government
maintains the site will be operational in April 2017.
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Geothermal energy – Kenya has embraced geothermal energy in a big way, aiming to serve one-quarter of its energy needs through this source.
New ventures such as the Ol-Karia IV power plant (pictured) make it one of the world's leading producers, and
investment is set to increase.
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Isiolo airport – Apart from Jomo Kenyatta, several smaller airports are undergoing major upgrades.
The provincial Isiolo airport is receiving a new terminal building and a new runway, in anticipation of higher visitor numbers.
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Two Rivers Mall – The
largest mall in East Africa will open in Nairobi in March. The 62,000 square meter facility will include housing, hotels, office space and -- of course -- extravagant shopping.
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Mombasa rail station – Kenya is already an infrastructure powerhouse of East Africa -- leading the region for
investment. But the next few years may see a quantum leap forward, with tens of billions of dollars to be spent on some of the world's most spectacular transport, energy and technology projects -- such as the new Mombasa rail station (above).
Through a program entitled
Kenya Vision 2030, the government hopes to deliver a "newly industrialized, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030."
Whether this ambitious goal will actually be achieved remains to be seen. But the following ventures certainly bear the potential to transform the landscape.
Still 72 crore is too much dont you think ?
