Ex-post Evaluation

1. Outline of the Project

• 1-1 Background of the Project

  The Tana River region, which is a priority area for the development of eastern Kenya, is located in the North-Eastern Province. Route B8 is a crucial road linking Mombassa-Kenya's second biggest city-to the Tana River region. The old Sabaki Bridge was a one-lane steel suspension bridge built in 1962 on route B8, the only trunk road to link the Coast Province and the North-Eastern Province, but it was not maintained adequately and suffered a great deal of saltwater damage, making it unsafe. Recently, the other bridges on B8 route located south of the old Sabaki Bridge have almost all been reconstructed. As there have been any agricultural development projects in the area of Tana River region located north of the old Sabaki Bridge, the volume of traffic on route B8 has increased by the year. Not only was the bridge only one lane, but it was also decrepit and required a load limit, which had made the bridge a severe constraint for route B8. Accordingly, the Kenyan government gave the reconstruction of the old Sabaki Bridge high priority as a national project and requested Grant Aid from the Japanese government.

• 1-2 Project Overview

  To dismantle the dilapidated Sabaki Bridge and built a new bridge.

  • (1) Overall Goal

    To encourage development in the Tana River region.

  • (2) Project Purpose

    To improve the functionality of the Sabaki Bridge to help route B8 regain its key role as a trunk road.

  • (3) Outputs

    To complete the reconstruction of Sabaki.

  • (4) Inputs
    • Japanese Side:

      1,873 million yen (1993D/D: 33 million yen, 1994: 348 million yen, 1995: 731 million yen, 1996: 761 million yen)

    • Kenyan Side:

      Land and Facilities 7 million yen

2. Evaluation Team

3. Results of Evaluation

• 3-1 Summary of Evaluation Results

  • (1) Impact

    Regarding the impact to social economy, after the new Sabaki Bridge was completed, the traffic volume of livestock and rock salt-important agricultural products in the area north of route B8—increased. Interviews with Coast Province officers revealed that the amount of horticultural products (vegetables, fruit, etc.) produced in the region had tripled. The most significant factor involved in this increase is the fact that the smooth traffic on Sabaki Bridge enables producers to deliver products to market while they are still fresh. A new shopping center has also been set up in Sabaki Village, located on the northern side of the bridge. According to interviews with the Malindi District Office and the police working in the Malindi region, it is easier for agents to patrol the region and to reach accident sites.

    A questionnaire administered in the target region also shows that the residents of the target area appreciate various benefits of the bridge, which include reduced fuel costs and other transportation expenses, shorter travel time, more variety of products offered at the market, and better access to schools and hospitals

    The completion of the Sabaki Bridge also seemed to benefit development projects that were ongoing in the coastal region. For example, the Coast Region Development Authority conducted several projects to develop communities in the region north of the Sabaki Bridge. In particular, the bridge made it easier for the women's groups involved in vegetable cultivation projects to purchase agricultural input such as seeds and manure and to bring their agricultural products to the market.

  • (2) Sustainability

    Although cracks have been discovered in parts of the access road connected to the new Sabaki Bridge and there are discrepancies in the slopes of the access road and bridge, it is structurally in normal range and these are not serious enough to harm the bridge's functions and durability at this point. There are no other structural problems at this point, either. However, after the project was completed and even at the time of this evaluation, there was no electricity for the streetlights. The guardrail damaged in a traffic accident in 2000 has been appropriately repaired.

    The Sabaki Bridge is maintained directly by the Ministry of Roads, Public Works and Housing in Malindi District ("the Ministry"). The Malindi District Office manages all bridges within the district, including the Sabaki Bridge. Three employees hired especially for this purpose are responsible for Sabaki Bridge's daily management (such as cleaning). Repair of more serious damages and cracks are taken care of as necessary, and although there is no special budget for this purpose, such budget has been approved when necessary.

    Pre-stressed concrete—a processed concrete widely used in bridge construction—as used to build the Sabaki Bridge, but the District Office does not have the necessary skills to repair structures using this type of concrete. The Ministry has had 30 technicians participate in the training course for this particular skill so far, but it seems that those who completed the training do not transfer the technique within the Ministry. There are two other bridges made of pre-stressed concrete in Kenya, and the personnel employed for these bridges have the necessary technique to some extent. If problems are to occur with the Sabaki Bridge, these personnel are expected to be used to resolve the problem.

    Since the Sabaki Bridge was completed, the traffic volume has increased remarkably, particularly traffic of small commercial vehicles (such as trucks with load capacity of less than four tons). The overall volume of traffic has nearly doubled since 1995. At the time of this evaluation, there were no traffic problems, such as traffic congestion, and route B8 has maintained its role as a trunk road.

  • 3-2 Factors that Promoted the Realization of Effects

    • (1) Factors Concerning the Planning

      N/A

    • (2) Factors Concerning to the Implementation Process

      Although the project was expected to generate synergistic effects with the development projects in the regions using the bridge, there were no intentional tie-ups. Even so, these development projects not only increased traffic volume, but also contribute the economic benefits generated from using the bridge.

  • 3-3 Factors that Impeded the Realization of Effects

    • (1) Factors Concerning the Planning

      N/A

    • (2) Factors Concerning the Implementation Process

      Although the Sabaki Bridge's construction yielded a significant impact, an even greater impact could have been anticipated if other factors had been satisfied. One of the factors can be that among the roads to north of Sabaki Bridge, the road connecting Malindi, Garsen and Garissa was not repaired as planned, and the impact on these regions was therefore minimal. Another is that the bridge's close proximity to the border with Somalia creates a safety problem for parts of this region; this could inhibit use of the roads that continue to the Sabaki Bridge.

  • 3-4 Conclusion

    Construction of the Sabaki Bridge contributed largely to improving transportation in the surrounding regions. Although quantitative data was not collected, the project helped revitalize the economy in these regions.

  • 3-5 Recommendations

    The road between Malindi, Garsen and Garissa and feeder roads connecting to route B8 need to be repaired as planned. And since the staff at the Malindi District Office of the Ministry of Roads, Public Works and Housing does not have the skills in mending and repairing structures made of pre-stressed concrete, they should acquire such skills.

  • 3-6 Lessons Learned

    N/A

  • 3-7 Follow-Up Situation

    N/A