New Highway to Northern Kenya Will Increase Tourism

Reuters is reporting that Chinese road engineers are helping to lay down the first miles of a much-delayed paved road linking Kenya to Ethiopia. The 330-mile stretch of road from Isiolo to Moyale on the border is one of the last unpaved sections of the Great North Road, a British colonial attempt to connect Cape Town to Cairo. The road will open up the northern half of Kenya, a region that has been effectively sealed off for 100 years.

Lack of infrastructure is not the only problem facing northern Kenya; the region is also wracked by banditry and tribal clashes. Even so, the road is expected to greatly increase tourism and trade. Some of Kenya's most pristine national parks are in the northern region, rarely visited because of their remoteness— 31 miles past Isiolo lie three game reserves that rival the famed Maasai Mara for the volume and variety of animals.