[1] This road, is an important trade corridor for traffic headed from Nairobi, South Sudan and Ethiopia, to the proposed Port Lamu and is a component of the Lamu-Moyale Highway, part of LAPSSET.
[3][4][5][6] The government of Kenya, using locally sourced funds, plans to upgrade the entire road to class II bitumen surface with shoulders, culverts and drainage channels.
Kenya National Highway Authority is handling the hiring of a qualified, competent contractor to carry on the work.
[4][5] H-Young Company was selected to improve the surface to grade II bitumen standard, widen the road to 7 metres (23 ft) across, with culverts, drainage channels and side paths at a cost of KSh10.8 billion (US$108 million).
[1] In December 2020 The EastAfrican newspaper reported construction progress at 75 percent, with commissioning expected in October 2021.