The B17 Road serves as a transport corridor that connects many remote communities from Nakuru all the way to Marich Pass through key hubs such as Marigat, Chemolingot and Lomut.
The new road will not only improve mobility, but it will also strengthen regional security, reduce transportation costs, shorten travel times and connect local farmers directly to profitable commercial markets.
Construction is actively progressing on Lot Three, which spans 31.4 kilometers, between the Kopasi River and Marich Pass, passing through Lomut and Sigor.
A major focus of this section involves constructing three river crossings: the 50-meter Parkino Bridge, the 50-meter Chepkuikui Bridge and the substantial 131-meter Murunji River Bridge. Fully funded by the Government of Kenya through its Development Fund, the infrastructure effort is making headway.
The newly tarmacked B17 Road winds through the lush, mountainous landscape of the North Rift, opening up previously hard-to-reach areas. The improved road is enhancing connectivity, easing travel and creating new opportunities for farmers, businesses and local communities.
Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Highway Engineer Julius Owino at the B17 Road project site. The project has reached 56.5% overall completion, with 12 kilometers fully paved and earthworks standing at 90% complete.
An excavator loads soil into a tipper truck along the B17 Road construction corridor as earthworks near completion, paving the way for the final stages of the road upgrade.
Meshack Cheserek, a resident of Tot, stands alongside the B17 Road construction site. The upgraded road is expected to improve accessibility, ease the movement of people and goods, and open up new opportunities for trade and economic growth in the area.
Growing up in Sibou Location within Tot, Kerio Valley Sub-County, Wilson Kemboi witnessed firsthand a region that had long suffered from insecurity, loss of property and the high human cost of violence on families and children. For a long time, tarmac roads were nothing more than a distant myth for the Sibou Location community in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Set against the scenic landscape of Elgeyo Marakwet, the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Kerio Valley Campus is a significant investment in the region’s future. Located along the B17 Road corridor, the institution is expected to strengthen healthcare training, equip more people with specialised medical skills and stimulate economic growth in the Kerio Valley.
Teresa Chemutai Aran, a resident of Sigor in West Pokot and a project sociologist along the Lomut–Sigor–Marich Pass Road corridor, says the newly paved highway is the first of its kind in the area, connecting West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet and Baringo counties. She notes that the improved connectivity is helping transform a region once plagued by conflict into an emerging hub of peace, trade and economic activity
Alphonce Kipkemoi, a resident of Tot, says improved security and road infrastructure have transformed life in his community. Recalling a time when insecurity forced residents to flee to the mountains for safety, he expresses gratitude for the interventions that have restored confidence, improved mobility and enabled communities to go about their daily activities without fear.
