Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways, on Monday launched direct flights from Nairobi to Juba, south Sudan, closing a huge gap in their regional network.
Kenya’s acting Transport Minister Amos Kimunya who launched the daily flights on the national carrier’s Embraer 170 jet aircraft said the development is expected to boost trade. Transport is a key element in the enhancement of trade and I believe that the introduction of these flights by Kenya Airways will go a long way in enhancing the trading activity not only between us and south Sudan but also within the region, Kimunya said.

He said trade would also be complemented following plans by south Sudan to construct an oil pipeline from Lamu in Kenya’s coastal town to Juba and a railway line connecting to Uganda which would help stimulate growth in the East African region. These proposed infrastructures together with the already existing interconnectivity can only make our two economies grow faster for the betterment of our people, he added.