Lamu port set up starts next month

Construction of the Lamu Port will finally begin next month, two years after the ground-breaking ceremony.

The Sh300 billion project can now begin after the government completed compensating the 154 landowners who will be displaced by the project that is expected to ease the movement of goods in various parts of Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia and reduce congestion at the port of Mombasa.

President Uhuru Kenyatta Monday said that construction would begin before the end of March.

“I hope the Ministry of Transport is ready because we are not going to change that date again,” said the President, who also asked the Cabinet secretary for Transport, Mr Michael Kamau, to ensure the work goes according to plan because there is no room for further delay.

President Kenyatta gave the order during the opening of the Kenya Maritime Conference at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.

The port will have 32 berths at the end, but the project will begin with the building of only three.

The port is among key projects lined up in the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor — a trading route linking Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Other proposed Lapsset projects include a railway line, pipeline and highway connecting the three countries.

The Mombasa port is currently overwhelmed by large volumes of cargo and last year, it notched a milestone after handling one million containers.  

“We began by giving special attention to maritime activities that fell into two categories: infrastructure and human-resource development. The infrastructure statistics speak for themselves. Mombasa handled a historic one million containers of cargo in 2014.  Our investment, I am pleased to say, has already begun to bear fruit,” said Mr Kenyatta.

The government began compensating landowners last week and the payouts are expected to be completed before construction officially begins.

The President also said the government would continue supporting the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as it ensures that the seas are safe for use.

“We expect that it will continue to play a central role in securing to Africa the benefits of its maritime resources, while ensuring that the global maritime system is safe, secure and supports the global economy,” he said.

NO SINGLE PIRACY

IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu thanked Kenya for supporting the fight against piracy in the Indian Ocean, saying there have been no recent attacks.

“There has been no single piracy incident over the last two years and we thank the government for the continued support in ensuring maritime security in the region,” said Mr Sekimuzi.

He, however, asked the government to develop a maritime transportation policy for Kenya to be a fully maritime nation.
The two-day conference was the first bringing together maritime stakeholders in Kenya and ends today.

Mr Kamau said Kenya should learn from leading maritime nations in Africa to ensure the sector contributes significantly to the economy.

“This is our first conference on maritime issues. We have countries that have well-established maritime sectors. Ethiopia, Liberia and the Seychelles are among them and we can learn a lot from them,” he said.

Transport Principal Secretary Nduva Muli said the maritime sector was still dependent on foreign companies to provide most of the critical services, including cleaning of containers.

He said a total of Sh1.7 billion was spent last year to clean and clear containers at the Mombasa port.