By Issa Hussein - Reporter
Kenya, August 19, 2026 - The government has announced the deployment of additional multi-agency security personnel along the 740km Isiolo-Mandera road to secure contractors and accelerate construction of the strategic highway.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said on Tuesday the move is aimed at ensuring the timely completion of the project, which is expected to transform the North Eastern region by unlocking development and boosting security across the entire belt.
“We are fully committed to the timely completion of the 740km Isiolo-Mandera road which will transform the North Eastern region by unlocking its development and boosting the security of the entire belt,” Murkomen said.
The CS chaired a multi-agency high-level meeting in Nairobi to review progress on the road and explore ways of resolving bottlenecks affecting delivery.
“I am glad to note the security measures we have put in place to ensure the safety of the contractors and people working on the project,” he said.
“Going forward, we shall bolster these measures by deploying more multi-agency security personnel to the road which is under the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project.”
The Isiolo-Mandera corridor is a flagship project under the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project and is expected to improve trade, connectivity and stability in counties bordering Somalia and Ethiopia.
Present at the meeting were Roads and Transport CS Hon. Davis Chirchir, PSs Eng. Joseph Mbugua (Roads), Dr. Raymond Omollo (Internal Security) and Dr. Patrick Mariru (Defence), Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and General Officer Commanding Eastern Command Maj. Gen. L.K. Kutto, among other senior government officials.
Mr Murkomen said the enhanced security deployment will be coordinated between the police, defence forces and other agencies to provide round-the-clock protection for workers and equipment along the highway.
The government has in the past cited insecurity as one of the main challenges slowing down infrastructure projects in northern Kenya.
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