By Abdullahi Jamaa

WAJIR, Kenya — Government officials, development partners and community representatives met in Wajir on Tuesday to validate 39 proposed socio-economic infrastructure projects intended to benefit communities living along the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project (HoAGDP) corridor, as leaders called for the programme to move quickly from planning to implementation.

The validation forum, hosted by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), brought together representatives from the North and Northeastern Development Initiative (NEDI), the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC), civil society organisations, county officials and local political leaders to review projects expected to complement the ongoing road corridor development.

The projects are designed to improve public services and livelihoods in communities hosting the infrastructure project. Officials said the initiative seeks to ensure that residents benefit directly from the major transport investment through additional social and economic infrastructure.

Speaking at the meeting, Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi said the county had repeatedly urged implementing agencies to roll out community projects alongside construction of the road.

“We have been pushing… that there is need to implement these projects like yesterday,” the governor said. “In fact, we were questioning why the road implementation moved ahead of the implementation of the social impact projects.”

Ahmed said the complementary projects were intended to ensure local communities shared in the benefits of the transport corridor, while acknowledging that road contractors had undertaken corporate social responsibility initiatives during recent droughts.

“When we had drought, they really helped. They were drilling boreholes, they were trucking water, they were buying food in many places. This we appreciate,” he said.

The governor cautioned stakeholders against making sweeping changes to the list of projects during the validation exercise, warning that extensive revisions could significantly delay implementation.

“If you try changing everything in the name of the community… we’re going to lose a lot of time,” he said, adding that only projects found to duplicate existing investments should be reconsidered.

Ahmed cited examples including a planned water supply project in Tarbaj, saying a second pipeline from Sarman had already secured funding, making duplication unnecessary. He also noted that some health facilities initially proposed under the programme had since been constructed and that resources could instead be redirected toward medical equipment.

He urged stakeholders to conclude the validation process quickly so that the projects could be aligned with the county’s development plans and implemented without unnecessary delays.

“I hope it’s KeNHA procurement, or World Bank, or whoever it is. We don’t want to get involved in the procurement of this thing,” Ahmed said. “We just want the projects delivered.”

Sustainability

NEDI Coordinator Simba Gulleid said the infrastructure programme would require long-term planning to ensure completed facilities remain operational after construction.

“We shall need a sustainability plan, especially in terms of budgeting, maintenance and all that,” Gulleid said. “For the time being, we are going to focus on the designs and ensure that this project is going to start as soon as possible.”

He said the investment would extend across several counties along the transport corridor. According to Gulleid, the World Bank component includes 89 projects, while the combined programme with support from the African Development Bank comprises 103 projects.

He said the investments are concentrated in Isiolo, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera and Meru counties, although the wider programme covers eight counties.

“The key reasons why these projects have been initiated is because we are going to have a road… but we need also services that can bring benefits to the people,” Gulleid said. “The impact of the road should also be felt in terms of service delivery.”

Frontier Counties Development Council’s HoAGDP Gender-Based Violence adviser Hafsa Hussein described the proposed investments as an opportunity to accelerate development in northern Kenya.

She said FCDC’s role is to coordinate collaboration among county governments, the national government, development partners and communities to support inclusive implementation while strengthening county ownership and stakeholder participation.

“FCDC’s  role is to strengthening county ownership, promoting stakeholder engagement, and maximizing the long-term benefits of these investments for the region among other roles. She said

The Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project is a regional infrastructure programme aimed at improving transport connectivity while supporting economic growth and service delivery in northern Kenya.

In addition to road construction, the project includes complementary investments in sectors such as water, health, education and other public services intended to improve the quality of life for communities living along the corridor.

The outcome of the validation exercise is expected to guide the final selection and implementation of community projects, which officials say are intended to ensure that local residents share in the long-term economic and social benefits generated by the transport corridor.