Kenya and Tanzania have signed a contract for a gas pipeline that will run from Dar es Salaam to Mombasa.
The signing took place yesterday as Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan made her first visit to Kenya.
According to the two leaders, the contract is part of a long-term project to share energy resources. “That is a long-term project and we are thankful that today we have signed an agreement and what remains is implementation,” President Samia Suluhu said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said the pipeline will help cut the cost of electric power and enable Kenya to shift to environment-friendly energy.
Although no timelines were outlined, President Samia stated that relevant technocrats have been directed to start working on it straight away.
“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 project.”
Meanwhile, Kenya and Tanzania have settled on eliminating barriers hindering the smooth flow of trade and people between the two East African nations, to grow businesses and investment.
Hassan as of yesterday said she and Kenyatta want to see health officers joining forces to ensure easy movement of people and goods.
“Just as His Excellency the President has said, we have agreed that our Health Ministers need to sit down and come up with a structured system of testing our people at the border points to allow easy movement of our people to do their businesses,” President Samia Suluhu said.
President Kenyatta added that the two countries are ready to utilize their close ethnic and historic ties to see their citizens benefit from collaborations.
“We are connected by a common culture; we have a common language and heritage. We do not take Tanzania just as a neighbourly country; we consider it a brotherly country.
“We have agreed to work on the main highway between Malindi through Lungalunga to Bagamoyo.
“We also agree that we will work on the 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.”
The two countries’ leaders also approved that health officers should team up on COVID-19 issues.
By Everlyne Bosibori
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