Addis Abeba — The vital road connecting Negelle Borana and Moyale in southern Oromia, a major trade and transport corridor linking the region to the Ethiopia-Kenya border, has reportedly remained largely without maintenance for decades, leaving residents facing severe transportation and economic hardships.
Residents told Addis Standard that the road's severely deteriorated condition has disrupted local transportation and trade while posing serious risks to pregnant women, patients, elderly people and other travelers.
A resident of Negelle Borana said the road has reportedly gone without meaningful maintenance for nearly two decades, spanning the tenure of the "Gadaa Abbaa Lamaa" local administration.
We have repeatedly reported this issue to government bodies at various levels, but nothing has been fixed to this day. This neglect has subjected us to endless problems
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The resident said the route is critical to the livelihoods of communities and merchants in Negelle Borana, who depend on it to access markets in southern Oromia and Kenya and to transport goods to and from the area.
"The road has been left neglected for decades, yet it is utterly vital to our livelihoods and trade," the resident said, describing its current condition as "terrifying and resembling a death trap."
Heavy flooding has further damaged the road in several locations, particularly in Liben and Gumi Eldallo districts. In Gumi Eldallo, extensive damage has reportedly been recorded around Awaytakoo, Cululi and Bobaa.
"We have repeatedly reported this issue to government bodies at various levels, but nothing has been fixed to this day. This neglect has subjected us to endless problems," the resident said. "Even a light rain renders the road entirely impassable."
A public transport driver operating along the Moyale-Negelle Borana route told Addis Standard that a paved road would allow the journey to be completed in about five hours. The current condition, however, has dramatically extended travel times.
The driver said vehicles departing Negelle Borana at around 1:00 a.m. may not reach Moyale until the following night, placing a particular burden on elderly passengers and children.
The driver also recounted frequent incidents in which vehicles become stuck in mud for up to three days during periods of rain, particularly along rural stretches of Gumi Eldallo. Following heavy rains, hardened and deeply rutted sections of the road can likewise force vehicles to travel at extremely slow speeds, turning what should be a relatively short journey into a two- or three-day ordeal.
An elder and resident of Bulbul town said communities along the corridor are enduring severe hardship and warned that failure to rehabilitate the road during the ongoing rainy season could put lives at risk.
The condition of the road has made it particularly difficult to transport pregnant women in active labor to hospitals for emergency care, the elder said, adding that regional authorities have repeatedly been informed of the situation.
"We informed regional officials, and they promised a study would be conducted and repairs would begin. But to this day, no one has come to fix it, and we are suffering immensely," the elder said.
Because this road spans over 350 kilometers, jurisdiction, budget allocation and construction fall strictly under the mandate of the Federal Government
The elder warned that continued deterioration could isolate communities along the corridor, including residents of Gumi Eldallo's Bobaa, Bulbul and Malka Guba kebeles, from accessing Negelle Borana.
Traders forced to take costly detours
For traders whose livelihoods depend on the road, the deteriorating route has also created significant additional costs.
Boontuu Liban, a Moyale resident who regularly travels between Moyale and Negelle Borana for trade, said road closures during the rainy season force traders to take a lengthy detour through the Somali Region.
"When the road closes due to rain, we are forced to travel from Moyale through the Somali Region just to reach Negelle Borana," she said. "This exposes us to unnecessary expenses, wasted time and extreme exhaustion."
A regional official in southern Oromia familiar with the issue confirmed that residents' complaints about the road are valid but said the scale of the project places it beyond the jurisdiction of regional authorities.
"Because this road spans over 350 kilometers, jurisdiction, budget allocation and construction fall strictly under the mandate of the Federal Government. Following public grievances raised a few years ago, we escalated this issue to the relevant federal authorities," the official said.
According to the official, the Federal Government has initiated preliminary studies for the rehabilitation of the road.
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The official said, however, that prolonged insecurity in southern Oromia has significantly delayed infrastructure and development projects in the area. The official recalled that three workers involved in the construction of a bridge over the Dawa River, known locally as Galaana Dawaa, were killed by armed individuals several years ago.
The official said security conditions have since improved and pledged to push for the road to be prioritized by the Federal Government and for greater coordination among the relevant agencies.
A historic trade corridor
The Negelle Borana-Moyale route was originally constructed during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. The historic corridor begins in Negelle Borana and runs south through Bulbul before crossing the Dawa River and continuing through Udata, Waccille, Borbor and Moyale, eventually connecting with Kenya.
Community elders told Addis Standard that despite its importance as a trade and transport corridor, the road has not undergone any significant rehabilitation since its original construction decades ago.
For communities living along the route, residents say the long-standing deterioration has transformed an essential economic lifeline into a daily source of hardship, with the onset of each rainy season bringing renewed fears of isolation and preventable loss of life. AS
