Kenya is set to commission the refurbished new Kisumu port which has undergone an intensive seven month upgrade. Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director, Daniel Manduku confirmed the reports and said that works have been completed and the facility is ready to start handling cargo, with a main focus on shipments to the hinterlands.
New Kisumu Port
The anticipated historic launch is expected to put the port back on the map of Kenya’s shipping and maritime economy, and on the path to recovering its lost glory after decades of under-performance. The project, perhaps the biggest among several others lined up by the government for the lake region in recent times, is expected to turn around the economic fortunes of the region and revive a thriving blue economy, creating thousands of employment opportunities for the locals.
Completed works include concreting of the port yard, construction of the quayside, repairs of the linkspan, repairs of the dry dock and rehabilitation of all buildings. All roads within and the link roads to the port facility, have also been repaired. The port has also been equipped with among others; forklift trucks, mobile cranes and tractor-trailers. The port will handle both containerized and conventional cargo.
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According to Manduku, the port can handle 50,000 TEUs or an equivalent of 200,000 metric tonnes. The government has pumped more than US $30m into the port’s rehabilitation. The project was closely monitored by the President and Hon Raila Odinga. The two will be joined by East African heads of state for the anticipated launch, after a team from the Presidential Delivery Unit conducts a final inspection of the facility.
“Kisumu Port is expected to open up the western Kenya market and further boost regional trade. The Kenya Railways Corporation engineers are also working on a new rail link from Kenya Pipeline to Kenya Cereals Board, which is already linked to the port,” Manduku said.
