Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

The Kenyan government is in talks with its Spanish counterpart for funding of an overpass at the Junction Mall along Ngong Road.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua (CS) revealed Kenya was sourcing funds from Spain for the Junction Mall overpass during a bilateral meeting with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares in Madrid.

Mutua said the Kenyan government wants its Spanish counterpart to provide funds for improving the railway system and roads.

“We also discussed the various partnerships and commitments by Spain towards Kenya which includes funds for improving our railway system and roads (in particular an overpass at Junction Mall area of Nairobi’s Ngong road),” Mutua tweeted.

We also discussed the various partnerships and commitment by Spain towards Kenya which includes funds for improving our railway system and roads (in particular an overpass at Junction Mall area of Nairobi’s Ngong road).

We also reviewed our trade partnership where 1,000… pic.twitter.com/H7JYRKQjfU

— Dr. Alfred N. Mutua (@DrAlfredMutua) April 27, 2023

T-Mall overpass

Spanish companies are increasingly involved in the construction of roads and the modernization of Kenya’s railway system.

The Ksh3 billion T-Mall overpass along Lang’ata Road was built by the Spanish engineering company Centunion which began construction of the four-lane flyover in November 2020.

Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the T-Mall flyover in June 2022.

The overpass allows motorists headed to Ongata Rongai and Magadi to drive over an elevated road to the Shell Petrol Station next to the Wilson Airport.

Vehicles headed to Mbagathi Road, South C and Wilson Airport use the underpass, a move that eased traffic along the busy Lang’ata Road.

The project was a public-private partnership between the government of Kenya and the government of the Kingdom of Spain.

DMU

Kenya Railways (KR) in 2019 purchased 11 refurbished Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs), five coaches, and spare parts from Spain at a negotiated price of Ksh1.15 billion.

The first batch of five commuter trains from Spain were launched in 2020 while the additional six trains arrived in Kenya in May 2021.

The trains were acquired from the island of Mallorca after the island completed the adoption of electric trains in its modernisation plan.

Kenya Railways projected that the refurbished trains would be fully functional for the next 20 to 25 years.

Since the purchase, the DMUs have been operating various routes within Nairobi estates including Embakasi and Syokimau.