By Mara Online News Writer
Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) Chairman of the Board of Trustees, General (rtd) George Waitara, has directed the management of the government agency to ensure that the Kogatende river bridge project is completed in time to allow conservation and tourism activities to flourish.
“The construction of the bridge must be completed without any hindrance because it is important for the existence of conservation and tourism in the Serengeti. We need strong infrastructure in our national parks for the continuation of conservation and tourism,” the former Chief of Defence Forces said.
He added: “The TANAPA management should ensure that the project is completed within the stipulated time to ensure that the area is passable all the year round.”
According to a statement released by the TANAPA on Thursday, March 13, 2025, General Waitara gave the directive when he toured the Serengeti National Park to inspect the impassable Kagotende Bridge, which was damaged by the 2020 and 2024 rains.
On her part, TANAPA Board member, CPA Khadija Ramadhani, said there was a need to build a flyover because of the annual expansion nature of the bridge from five metres to 126 metres during the seasonal rains.
She said construction of the flyover would reduce frequent costs incurred to maintain the bridge every year.
Speaking at the same venue, the head of the Serengeti National Park, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Conservation Stephano Msumi, said the Kagotende river bridge was a vented drift being used during the dry season but was severely damaged by the 2020 and 2024 rains.
Feasibility studies have been carried out to determine the depth of water of the Kagotende river, soil composition at the area and the 30-year history of floods in the area, Msumi said.
TANAPA’s head of the Conservation Development Unit, Assistant Commission of Conservation, Nuhu Daniel, said the on-going work is the completion of architectural designs and preparation of tender documents for the contractor to enable commencement of the project.
“The construction of this bridge will transform the running of tourism activities in the northern side where tour operators will use Lamai area during the Mara Crossing -- the seasonal Great Wildebeest Migration from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Kenya’s Masai Mara and vice-versa.
The 100-metre long Kagotende river bridge project, worth 6.3bn/-, is being implemented jointly by the Tanzania government and the government of Germany through the German Development Bank (KfW).
The project is expected to start in November this year as the continuation of the diplomatic cooperation between the two countries.
The TANAPA Board of Trustees also visited other projects currently under implementation in the Serengeti National Park.
According to the TANAPA statement, these projects include the construction of the 72-km Banagi-Lobo-Kleins Gate road,the 68-kmGolini-Naabi-Seronera road and the construction of the Serengeti National Park Golf Course being undertaken by TANAPA’s subsidiary company, TANAPA Investment Limited, and the construction of the Kleins Gate undertaken by Stance Technic and Civil Engineers limited.
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