Kilifi could have biggest port in East Africa , Governor Kingi says

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi has said a feasibility study conducted in the county indicates the possibility of building a third port at Takaungu.

He said research conducted by marine experts has established that the shoreline of Takaungu, near Kilifi Town, can be one of the biggest ports in East Africa.

Addressing hundreds of investors and delegates at the start of the three-day Kilifi County International Investments Conference at Pwani University on Thursday afternoon, Mr Kingi said the port, if established, would open avenues for more investment opportunities in the region.

“It will be able to decongest the Mombasa port, giving investors and businessmen an opportunity due to its logistical location.

“It will also harbour industrial parks processes zone and other components found in infrastructure,” said Mr Kingi said, while addressing investors at the conference.

Although the county has been hit by numerous challenges such as drought, it has chunks of arable land and a large coastal strip that gives opportunities for investment.

“Infrastructure and tourism in the county has refused to grow,” he said adding that “the standards of hotels that I saw while growing up from my childhood are still in the same standard.

Mr Kingi urged investors to upgrade the standards of their facilities so that they can obtain modern status to attract more tourists and compete with other five star hotels in Zanzibar and other places in the world.

However, however, said tourism was not the only resource in the county that can boost their economy. He said the county has huge deposits of titanium and magnesium mineral in the Indian Ocean.

“We brag to be having the largest belt of magnesium, some people are scooping our soils and ferry containers of containers without processing,” he said.

VIPINGO PROGRAMME

Centum Investment Chief Executive Officer James Mworia told investors that his organisation had opened opportunities to the people of Kilifi following its establishment of the 10,254-acre Vipingo Integrated Development Programme.

Mr Mworia said the first phase of the programme will be the setting up of a Vipingo vocational centre which will be anchored in the 400 acres of land in the first phase.

“This project will benefit the locals and the Kilifi residents in general because we shall be giving out an annual 50 scholarships to high school students from the regions bordering the project,” said Mr Mworia.

Later answering a question from a participant, Charles Chigiri, on whether the locals were consulted before the Vipingo project was approved, Mr Mworia said the organisation held several consultative meetings with locals before they agreed to allow the project to take off.

“We held 20 consultative meetings that were attended by more than 1,000 residents from the area which the project will take place,’’ said Mr Mworia.

“We had also engaged actively in the Corporate Social Responsibility programme by building and repairing classes at Timboni and Makonde Primary Schools,” he added.

Other speakers at the forum included the chairman of the Kenyan National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kiprono Kitony, KenInvest managing director Moses Ikiara, investment banker Tsfowa Mweni.

Others who spoke included Emmanuel Nzai, a project leader in the Vision 2030 county transformation.