On an evening flight to Addis, I chanced on a Kenyan embassy staff working there. He introduced himself with a warm smile, as we settled down upon boarding. Noticing me at lost luggage counter on arrival, he walked over with concern. I forgot my reading glasses on my seat, I explained, to him and the airport staff.

No worries, he said. Let us ask the airline, to bring them to the lost and found desk. Our staff will pick them up when they come to the airport tomorrow, he said reassuringly, as he offered me a ride to the hotel. A day later, his colleague stopped by our delegation as we met our hosts, and dropped the glasses off. Absolutely amazing!

This incredible Kenyan spirit thrives on in spite of constant threat by naysayers, who seek to dreg the worst in us, with talk of imaginary enemies.

A mountaineer on the fifth floor, I find it a ridiculous but dangerous circus, that politicians can label other Kenyans as enemies, while trying to fuel discontent through “alternative” facts.

For instance, upgrading of the 740-kilometre Isiolo-Wajir-Mandera road to bitumen standard is fully funded and under implementation. But Kenyans, ever skeptical, and fed a constant diet of misrepresentation, are taking this information with a grain of salt.

Some youthful lawyers chewed my ear off a few weeks ago. How do you know that it is a “true story” (sic), they asked me, disbelief in their voices. KRA, I explained, whose board I chair, is putting up four trade facilitation facilities (truck stops) along the road and two, one-stop-border-posts (OSBPs) at Rhamu and Suftu, in Mandera County. They seemed impressed.

Why are you guys in government not communicating then, one pressed. We are, I said, but in this post-truth world, detractors are inventing their own facts. And unfortunately, I added, a lie goes around the world twice, before the truth has a chance to put on her shoes.

My reading glasses mishap was on a flight to join other technocrats, two principal secretaries and the Mandera County Governor, as we engaged with our Ethiopian counterparts, part of our joint on-going work, developing the vital corridor.

The Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project (HoAGDP) as the project is called, is a massive effort to enhance connectivity of the Northern Kenya counties, Ethiopia and Somalia.

Investments on the Kenyan side of the corridor include the road, two cross-border bridges on River Dawa complete with one-stop-border posts, four trade facilitation stops along the route, nearly 1,300 kilometres of fibre optic cable, schools, water points and health facilities. It will cost over 200 billion shillings.

Dawa River is the boundary (160 kilometres) between Kenya and Ethiopia. The bridges will improve human movement and boost trade.

The project is financed with loans from World Bank, Africa Development Bank, and a consortium of Arab banks.

At Sh169 billion, the World Bank has provided the most. This includes recent additional financing for the fibre optic infrastructure. African Development Bank (AfDB) has contributed about Sh27.5 billion, focused on the 142 kilometre El Wak–Rhamu section.

The additional World Bank funding package is Sh71.5 billion. Of this, Sh37.7 billion is additional financing for the original HoAGDP to cover rising costs and expanded scope.

Another Sh33.8 billion is for the Second Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project, specifically targeting connectivity and trade facilitation.

Scheduled for completion by June 2028, the project is part of the broader Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI), which has mobilised over $12.9 billion for more than 250 regional projects as of January 2026.

I learnt a couple of things in Addis. Ethiopians drive on the right, while we drive on the left side of the road, requiring a change-over point at the OSBPs.

Second, the axles on their trucks are configured differently from ours. As a result, we are yet to get full use of Lappset Corridor and Lamu port from our neighbors.

Kenyan axle load regulations, based on the Traffic Act and EAC Vehicle Load Control regulations, govern weight distribution to protect road infrastructure. The maximum permissible loads are 8t for single steering (2 tyres), 10t for single axle (4 tyres), 16t for tandem (8 tyres), and 24t for triple axle groups (12 tyres), with a five percent tolerance allowed.

If the two countries harmonise our axle configurations, trucks will operate across the region, thereby boosting trade.

Ndiritu Muriithi is an economist and partner at Ecocapp Capital. He is also the chairman of KRA and former governor of Laikipia County. Email: Ndiritumuriithi@kra.go.ke