KISII, Kenya, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Across the steep, green hills of Kisii County of western Kenya, newly built roads are transforming lives and boosting local commerce.
Trucks loaded with bananas, avocados, sugarcane, and soapstone now head out at dawn, bringing quick returns for local farmers.
Before Chinese companies upgraded the network, poor infrastructure fueled high poverty levels.
Today, traders like 43-year-old Jane Gesare, who has spent a decade buying and selling fresh produce across western Kenya, can move goods quickly and reliably.
The mother of four traverses Kisii's rolling hills to buy bananas directly from local farmers before shipping them to Kisumu and Nairobi cities.
Previously, navigating the 80-kilometer stretch of muddy, potholed roads took six agonizing hours.
Today, thanks to paving work completed by a Chinese construction company, that same journey takes just 80 minutes.
"Before this road was tarmacked by the Chinese, half of my bananas would ripen and rot on the way. The truck would get stuck. Not anymore," Gesare told Xinhua during a recent interview.
Transit delays once meant frequent rejections for Samson Onserio's tea harvest.
The Kenya Tea Development Agency requires green leaf deliveries within six hours of plucking, a deadline hard to hit on unpaved roads.
"The trucks always got delayed, and we lost our bonuses," Onserio said.
Thanks to a new asphalt road, his harvest now reaches the factory in under an hour, boosting his annual income.
Across the densely populated counties of Kisii and Nyamira in western Kenya, hundreds of kilometers of asphalt roads now wind through banana groves, soapstone quarries, and tea plantations, unlocking fresh economic opportunities for local communities.
According to data from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), Chinese companies have constructed or upgraded over 250 kilometers of roads in the two counties over the last six years.
Chief among these is the 206-kilometer Isebania-Kisii-Ahero (A1) corridor and associated feeder roads, which has become South Nyanza's economic backbone.
Running from Isebania on the Tanzania border through Migori, Homa Bay, Kisii before ending at Ahero in Kisumu County, the route serves as a vital international artery linking Tanzania to South Sudan via Kenya.
The corridor was rehabilitated through joint funding by the Kenyan government and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The momentum grew in 2024 when Kenya secured funding from China to revive 15 stalled road projects.
The impacts are already visible on the ground: local avocado farmer John Manyura noted that the newly built Nyabigena-Nyakorere-Gesonso road allows buyers to reach farms directly.
In Tabaka, a hub famous for its soapstone industry, artisans credit the China Henan International Cooperation Group (CHICO) constructed Nyachenge-Tabaka-Ogembo road with transforming how they transport and sell their crafts.
"In the past, buyers from Nairobi could not come because the road was terrible. Now tourists and exporters come with their cars directly to the quarry," said Eric Nyabuto, 55, a carver.
The newly paved roads have provided a major boost to public transit operators and motorbikes, while helping drive a 30 percent increase in local school enrollment.
Beyond transport, the infrastructure has catalyzed a commercial real estate expansion, leading to more shops, rental units, and higher municipal tax collections.
Across Kisii and Nyamira counties, residents consistently praise the high quality of the Chinese-built roads.
"The Chinese companies came here with heavy machines we had never seen. They did proper drainage, climbing lanes, and footbridges. Even during heavy rains, the road is not washed away like the old ones," said Joseph Miruka, a community leader.
Kisii and Nyamira counties are vital for Kenya's banana and tea production, and represent the nation's fastest-growing avocado zone.
According to senior Kisii County agricultural officials, paving key connector roads has yielded massive gains as banana post-harvest losses have dropped from 40 percent in 2018 to 12 percent in 2025. ■