Now it will be possible to travel to Arusha in Tanzania and to the foothills of Kilimanjaro from the Kenyan side, as well as to the Serengeti, with convenient asphalt roads and, if desired, without travelling along the dangerous Nairobi-Mombasa 'highway'.

The two presidents of Tanzania and Kenya, Samia Suluhu Hassan and Uhuru Kenyatta, officially inaugurated on Friday 22 July the Arusha Bypass, 42.4 km long and part of the Arusha-Holili-Taveta-Voi regional transit corridor linking Tanzania and Kenya.

Speaking at the inauguration at the State House in Arusha, the leaders hailed the project as an important integration tool that will improve the movement of goods and people and increase trade.

President Kenyatta said the project will help ease traffic congestion in Arusha and further connect East Africa.

'The link between Arusha and Voi in Mombasa will facilitate the supply of agricultural products such as maize, tomatoes and vegetables and help fight poverty in our countries by improving people's lives,' Kenyatta said. 'Infrastructure is critical to achieving our common goal of being a common market. That is why my administration in Kenya has always been interested in infrastructure growth in all sectors,' he said.

Tanzanian President Samia said that the bypass road not only connects the northern Tanzanian regions of Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara and Tanga with Kenya via the Taveta highway, but added that there are already plans to connect her country with Burundi and Congo and connect with Kenya via the Taveta-Voi line, which is being implemented.

The African Development Bank financed the USD 217 million project to the tune of USD 112 million, while Kenya contributed USD 105 million.

The AfDB hailed it as a means to facilitate cross-border trade. The transit time through the Holili border post, which was one day, is now two hours.