Kenya is gearing up for a major new infrastructure project linked to the Belt and Road Initiative as it seeks to strengthen its role as a regional trade and logistics hub in Africa.

Kithure Kindiki, Kenya's deputy president said the east African nation is looking forward to working with China on the construction of an overpass along the Nairobi-Thika road corridor to ease persistent traffic congestion in one of the country's busiest transport routes.

The Thika superhighway was constructed with support from Chinese contractors and financing and officially opened in 2012 by former president Mwai Kibaki.

The Kenyan official who spoke during a Kenya–China business engagement in Nairobi this week, said the more than 50-kilometer road network to be built on the existing Thika superhighway will improve Kenya's role as a gateway for trade and investment in the eastern and central Africa region.

"Investing in transport and logistics infrastructure have enhanced regional connectivity through key projects like the standard gauge railway, the Nairobi Expressway and the soon to be constructed highway overpass," he said.

The proposed Thika expressway will link Nairobi to the industrial town of Thika and is expected to become a critical transport artery connecting the capital to Kenya's central region as well as parts of eastern and northern Kenya.

Kenyan President William Ruto last month announced plans to begin construction of the project in September this year.

Kindiki noted that infrastructure network makes Kenya an attractive destination for manufacturing, value addition and regional distribution across Africa, particularly for Chinese investors seeking access to the continent's growing markets.

The deputy president highlighted opportunities for Chinese investment in sectors including manufacturing, agro-processing, renewable energy and digital trade, noting that Kenya's participation in regional economic blocs enhances its attractiveness as an investment base.

Through membership in the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the African Continental Free Trade Area, investors based in Kenya can access a continental market of more than 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP estimated at about $2.83 trillion, he said.