NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 21 — Makueni County has signed a memorandum of understanding with Israeli-linked engineering and environmental solutions company AnyWay Solutions to use satellite data, mapping technology and climate-risk information to prioritise rural roads for repair and upgrading.
The agreement, signed at the Embassy of Israel in Nairobi on Friday, aims to shift the county from reactive road repairs to data-driven planning that directs scarce resources to roads with the greatest economic, social, and climate-resilience benefits.
Makueni has a road network of more than 14,000 kilometres, about 80 per cent of which comprises earth and gravel roads.
During the March-May and October-December rainy seasons, an estimated 70-80 percent of the network can become difficult or impassable, disrupting the movement of farm produce and access to schools, health facilities and markets.
Anyway, Solutions East Africa Regional Manager Solomon Nigusie said the partnership was intended to help the county make better investment decisions rather than simply build more roads.
“One of the biggest challenges in rural infrastructure is not simply how to build more roads, but how to make better decisions about which roads to prioritise first, especially when resources are limited,” Nigusie said.
The system will combine the county’s local knowledge with Earth Observation satellite data, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), rainfall records, open-source information and other county datasets to assess the road network and its vulnerabilities.
Roads will be ranked using factors such as agricultural activity, population served, access to markets, schools and health facilities, terrain, flood and drainage risks and connectivity to the wider road network.
“By considering factors such as agriculture, population, access to markets, schools and health facilities, as well as flooding and other risks, we can help identify where investment in roads can deliver the greatest economic and social impact,” Nigusie said.
The programme will begin with a pilot in Mbooni Sub-County, where the technology will be used to establish a baseline of selected roads and identify those that could be prioritized for rehabilitation or upgrading.
A subsequent phase will introduce road asset management tools, train county personnel in data collection and analysis, and establish a dashboard to support road management and budget decisions.
Nigusie said the programme would also prioritise technology transfer and local capacity building, allowing county professionals to operate and sustain the system.
“For us, the signing of the MOU is not the end of the process. It is the beginning of the next phase,” he said, adding that the partners would seek to mobilize resources, implement the pilot and assess whether the model could be replicated elsewhere.
The memorandum of understanding does not commit Makueni County to finance the programme or award AnyWay a road construction or rehabilitation contract.
Implementation is conditional on external funding being secured, with each party bearing its own costs in the meantime.
Any work requiring procurement would be subject to a separate contract after funding is secured.
The agreement allows either party to terminate the MOU if funding is not secured within three years.
The county has committed to working with AnyWay to seek funding, incorporating the prioritization work into its existing programmes and public participation processes, considering the recommendations in its budget planning and allowing county staff to receive training.
Israeli Ambassador to Kenya Gideon Behar said the partnership was particularly relevant as climate change increases the pressure on Makueni’s road network.
“Roads are really one of the most critical forms of infrastructure for the economy and modern life. This is because of how people move commodities, how people move from one side to another, and how visitors and tourists come,” Behar said.
He said data-driven planning could help the county direct scarce resources more efficiently while preparing for climate-related risks.
“This MOU with AnyWay is really a good one because it enables you to know where to put your money, where to put your effort and where to invest in order to increase efficiency and prepare yourself for the eventualities of the climate crisis,” he said.
Behar said the road initiative formed part of broader cooperation between Israel and Makueni in healthcare and agriculture.
The embassy has supported medical training in the county and is planning further cooperation, while Israeli-supported agricultural initiatives include work on fish ponds, irrigation and food security.
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. said Makueni’s terrain and exposure to heavy rains made better road planning essential.
“I am pleased that we are discussing matters of roads, particularly where we should provide the budget. I don’t know how you realize that resources are very little, and particularly from the environment where we come from, we are in mortal fear, including myself, that if El Niño comes as predicted, we will have no roads,” Kilonzo said.
He urged county engineers and road officials to take advantage of the technology and training offered through the partnership.
Governor Kilonzo said applying technology to road planning could help reduce wastage and free resources for other sectors, particularly agriculture.
“If we can use even a small part of the technology from AnyWay, we would save our resources and transfer them to something like agriculture,” he said.
He said Makueni was open to technologies and innovations that could address its development challenges, describing the county as a potential logistical hub because of its location between the coast and northern Kenya.
