By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
26 January 2026 - A quiet but far-reaching recalibration is underway between Kenya and Ethiopia, driven less by diplomacy and more by infrastructure.
From highways cutting through arid borderlands to mega-airports rising on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, the two neighbours are redefining how trade, mobility and influence will flow across Eastern Africa.
At the centre of Kenya’s strategy is the modernisation of the Northern Corridor, long regarded as the backbone of regional trade.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei says the renewed focus is deliberate and strategic.
“We are strengthening both the physical and digital infrastructure of the Northern Corridor to ensure it remains competitive, efficient and responsive to the demands of regional and global trade,” Sing’oei said, noting that the initiative is designed to integrate transport, customs and supply chains into a single performance-driven framework.
According to Sing’oei, the corridor is no longer just a transit route.
“This is about positioning Kenya—and the region—as a reliable gateway for exports and imports, while lowering the cost of doing business across borders,” he said, adding that improved logistics and predictability are critical for attracting long-term investment.
Running parallel to the Northern Corridor push is the long-gestating LAPSSET Corridor, which Kenyan authorities now insist is moving from vision to execution.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has repeatedly described the project as a game-changer not just for Kenya but for landlocked neighbours, particularly Ethiopia.
“The completion of key road links from Lamu through Garissa and Isiolo fundamentally changes the equation,” Chirchir said.
“For the first time, Ethiopia has a viable alternative route to the Indian Ocean, and Kenya unlocks the strategic and economic value of Lamu Port.”
Chirchir has pointed to the recent handling of Ethiopian-bound cargo through Lamu as proof that the corridor is beginning to function.
“This is no longer a theoretical infrastructure project. We are seeing real movement of goods, and that signals confidence in the corridor’s future,” he said.
He added that LAPSSET is expected to decongest traditional routes while stimulating investment and job creation in northern Kenya.
On the Ethiopian side, authorities view these developments as a critical extension of their broader economic strategy.
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Senior transport officials have acknowledged that reliance on a single outlet is no longer sustainable.
“Diversifying access to the sea is an economic necessity for Ethiopia,” one official said, noting that improved road networks to Moyale and the establishment of one-stop border posts are designed to ease trade flows with Kenya and beyond.
But while roads and corridors anchor Ethiopia’s ground strategy, aviation is where Addis Ababa is making its boldest play.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has confirmed plans to construct what he describes as Africa’s largest airport, capable of handling more than 100 million passengers annually.
“Bole International Airport has reached its maximum capacity,” Abiy said.
“If Ethiopia is to sustain its growth trajectory, we must build infrastructure that anticipates future demand rather than reacts to congestion.”
The proposed mega-airport near Bishoftu is envisioned as more than a terminal. Ethiopian authorities describe it as a fully integrated aviation city combining passenger services, cargo logistics, aircraft maintenance and commercial development.
“This project is central to Ethiopia’s ambition to become a global aviation and logistics hub,” an aviation official said.
Ethiopian Airlines leadership has reinforced that position, arguing that modern airports are essential to economic transformation. “Aviation is not just about travel; it is about trade, tourism, investment and connectivity,” airline executives have said, pointing to rising passenger and cargo volumes that current facilities can no longer absorb.
For Kenya, Ethiopia’s aviation surge introduces both competition and strategic complementarity. While Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport remains a critical regional hub, Kenyan officials insist the region benefits from multiple strong gateways. “Regional integration is not a zero-sum game,” one transport official said.
“Efficient corridors on the ground and strong aviation hubs in the air reinforce each other.”
What emerges from the parallel investments is a subtle but significant regional contest—not of rivalry, but of positioning. Kenya is betting on corridors and ports to anchor trade dominance, while Ethiopia is pairing cross-border roads with continental aviation supremacy.
Both strategies are capital-intensive and politically sensitive, and both face financing and implementation risks. Yet the messaging from Nairobi and Addis Ababa remains resolute.
As Sing’oei put it, “Infrastructure is the foundation of regional competitiveness. What we are building today will define how East Africa trades, travels and grows for decades.”
In that future, highways meet runways—and the balance of regional power may well be decided where asphalt ends and airspace begins.
