Kenya's infrastructure projects win global award

Handing over the award to Lapsset CEO Silvester Kasuku is Mr Bruce Andrews, Deputy Secretary of Commerce, US Department of Commerce, looking on is Norman Anderson –President and CEO of Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum Awards. PHOTO | LILIAN OCHIENG

What you need to know:

  • “Engineering design activities for the port, road, pipeline, railway and coal power plant among others have employed thousands of experts,” said Mr Kasuku.
  • Mr Kasuku said that since inception in 2012, the project has created 5,000 direct jobs in Lamu Port and ongoing construction activities along the 500 Km Lamu-Malindi-Isiolo-Marsabit-Moyale Road.

The Lamu Port South Sudan Transport corridor (Lapsset) project has won this year’s Global Infrastructure Leadership Project Award for its ambitious venture to open up the country for trade.

Lapsset was honoured for creating thousands of jobs and investment opportunities across East Africa hence impacting greatly on Kenya’s wealth.

It is also among projects named by World Bank and International Monitory Fund to hugely impact on the country’s economic growth this year.

Lapsset CEO Silvester Kasuku received the award at the 9th Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum held at the Renaissance downtown, Washington DC in the US.

“The project provides an opportunity of a lifetime to all beneficiary communities, counties and countries on the continent, it is a transformative and game changing project,” said Mr Bruce Andrews deputy secretary US department of commerce in a statement.

JOBS

Mr Kasuku said that since inception in 2012, the project has created 5,000 direct jobs in Lamu Port and ongoing construction activities along the 500 Km Lamu-Malindi-Isiolo-Marsabit-Moyale Road.

“Engineering design activities for the port, road, pipeline, railway and coal power plant among others have employed thousands of experts,” said Mr Kasuku.

“The project has also opened up new business opportunities to over a million people in Lamu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Meru, Laikipia and Turkana counties where the project is based.”

So far, the Sh46 billion Isiolo Marsabit Moyale road is nearing completion with only 30km of the 500km stretch remaining. The road is expected to be a trade facilitator between Kenya and Ethiopia.