Travelling between Kinango and Samburu in Kwale County some years back was a nightmare. With dilapidated roads that were impassable during rains to travellers spending their nights in the hinterland, things have changed for the region.
That is accredited to the completion of Sh2 billion Kinango-Samburu Road which was done by Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA).
The smooth highway is now a game changer and it is one of the key roads expected to bolster tourism in South Coast and the entire region.
Tourism stakeholders are upbeat that the new road will attract more visitors to the South Coast, who have been preferring areas in Mombasa and Malindi due to the ease accessibility.
Kwale County is among the coastal counties with most tourist attractions that include among others, the magnificent Wasini Island, Funzi Island, Shimoni, Diani Beach, Beach Hotels and Shimba Hills National Reserve, among others.
For all those years when this road was not there, those visiting the county had no option but to rely on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway, wadding through Kibarani, Likoni Ferry to Diani, that which caused frequent delays.
According to Lofty Safaris Director Monica Solanki, this is already a game changer to them in the sector.
“The tourists who mostly like to go on Safari to Tsavo National Park do not have to go through the Likoni Ferry and through Kibarani where there have been endless road constructions,” she said
Currently, the 53km Kinango-Samburu road is complete, while the 23km Kinango-Kwale Highway is yet to be tarmacked.
Ms Solanki added that tour vans have been using the road for a while now, even though a section of the road between Kwale and Kinango is not yet tarmacked.
“The only problem comes during the rainy season that there is a lot of mud at the untarmacked road. But it is always okay to use it in all the other days. It saves our driver’s time. The good thing is that the larger part of the road from Kinango has been tarmacked,” she said.
Tourists, especially foreigners staying in Coast region for their holiday usually visit national parks such as the Tsavo, Amboseli, Maasai Mara and Nairobi,
Ms Solanki said many of them had complained before of the time wasted along traffic jams and in Likoni awaiting a ferry to cross the Indian Ocean.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, she said that most domestic tourists would prefer driving to the Coast than using air or public means, hence the alternative road for those who are visiting Diani would be a great gain.
Baobab Beach Resort Manager Sylvestor Mbandi, said it will take a visitor to the South Coast about an hour from Samburu, a distance that takes about three hours when goes through Mombasa, through the Likoni Crossing Channel to Diani.
He however urged the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to hasten the completion of the remaining section of the road.
“The short drive from Kinango to Kwale is a short distance but extremely rough, if KenHA can complete this section faster, it will truly be a game changer to our businesses,” he stated.
KenHA Coast Deputy Director Howard Mmayi, said the contractor has already been informed and will soon be on site.
For years, business persons, high profiles and tourists visiting the Coast have had to endure congestion on the highway especially at Kibarani where trucks from the Port cause traffic jams.
