Millions gone, Suam One Stop Border Point in limbo

In 2019, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a bilateral agreement for the construction of the Suam One Stop Border Point (OSBP).

And the African Development Bank (AfDB) invested Sh4.5 billion for the Kitale-Suam highway and an additional Sh100 million to construct the OSBP.

However, six years later, the OSBP has stalled, while the Ugandan facility is already operational. During a recent visit to the project site by The Standard, no work was observed, and residents expressed concern over the neglect of this critical initiative.

The OSBP was supposed to be completed in 2022, just before President Uhuru Kenyatta retired. The current state of the site suggests a significant delay.

There are no signs of progress, as the construction has remained uncoordinated and groundwork is still incomplete.

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Residents say the project has faced serious, unexplained implementation challenges.

The contrast with the completed and operational OSBP on the Ugandan side is stark, raising questions among Kenyan residents about the ongoing delays. Residents and cross-border development stakeholders have voiced their concerns over the project’s delayed completion, despite a pledge from the Kenyan government to expedite its finalisation and the official launch of this bilateral project.

During an inspection visit to the site on January 7, 2025, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki acknowledged that the project had encountered implementation issues.

He assured the community that the government is committed to speeding up the project’s completion.

“I have come here to assess this project after receiving reports on the challenges faced, and as a government, we commit to complete it in the coming months to enhance business between Kenya and Uganda,” Kindiki promised.

Despite his assurances, work at the site has yet to commence, and a government official, who requested anonymity, stated that resources mobilisation for the project’s completion remains challenging.

“The biggest challenge is securing funds to complete the facility before it becomes operational, and no one is willing to disclose how the money allocated for the project was utilised,” a source told The Standard.

Residents near the border expressed envy over the operational facility on the Ugandan side, while the Kenyan site appears to have a bleak future.

Those interviewed demanded that the government honours its promise and expedite the project’s completion, which is set to boost bilateral trade and relations between Kenya and Uganda.

“We ask the government to keep its pledge and speed up the completion of the project to facilitate trade between Kenya and Uganda,” said Dan Sapiri, a resident at the border.

Another resident, David Kamau, lamented the slow progress: “The facility is still far from completion, yet construction started earlier than Uganda’s.

The government has not been transparent about the delays. We suspect that funds meant for the project were misused, and if that is the case, action should be taken.”

An engineer supervising the project admitted that work had stalled due to a lack of funds to pay the contractor.

“The contractor has yet to receive the pending payments, but discussions are ongoing to ensure funds are released to facilitate the project’s completion,” the engineer told The Standard.