Tanzania And Kenya To Build Gas Pipeline From Dar es Salaam To Mombasa

Africa | Infrastructure | Tanzania | Kenya May 5, 2021

Tanzania and Kenya plan to build a natural gas pipeline stretching from Dar es Salaam to Mombasa, reported some East African media on May 5, 2021. The pipeline would give Kenya easier and probably cheaper access to natural gas supplies emanating from existing exploitation of Tanzania’s massive natural gas reserves.

According to the reports, decision about the planned pipeline was reached in Nairobi by Presidents Samia Hassan and Uhuru Kenyatta of Tanzania and Kenya respectively, during President Hassan’s debut state visit to Kenya, that commenced on May 4, 2021.

Furthermore, the two heads of state are said to have agreed, among others, speeding up of an ongoing construction of an East African coastal highway from Bagamoyo to Malindi via Mombasa.

Some political analysts think that President Hassan’s visit to Kenya may signal thawing of relations between the two East African biggest economies. Hitherto the visit the relations were rather hostile, characterized by perpetual trade wars, and even auctioning by Tanzania of some starving cattle from Kenya that crossed their common border into Tanzania in search for pasture.

Also, while Kenya has been enthusiastic in honoring agreed joint East African infrastructure projects, Tanzania has shown little interest during the administration preceding Samia Hassan’s era.

For instance, while Kenya quickly completed upgrading of its section of a planned modern East African highway from Arusha to Voi via Holili/Taveta, Tanzania has done very little on its section despite the colossal benefits such an upgrade would deliver to its people of Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions and Tanzania at large. At the same time, the then government pumped lots of national funds into other projects in other parts of the country, some of which may have lesser significance to national development compared to the Arusha-Voi Highway project. _________________________ © 2015 - 2021 Africauptodate. All Rights Reserved