Kenyan Transport Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera said 20 per cent of the work has been completed and the government will set aside US$97.1mn to the port project in the coming fiscal year
He said the government has by now paid US$44.6mn to the contractor of the Lamu port project while another US$28.1mn would be paid before the end of this year. The Principle Secretary said the Lamu port project would cost the exchequer a sum of US$466mn. Construction of the first three berths in the Lamu port project has already begun.
“We look ahead to the construction of the first berth of the Lamu port to be finished by June 2018,” he said. In an interview, Mr. Nyakera said construction of the second and third berths are projected to be finished in 2019 and 2020 correspondingly.
“The government is committed to finish the construction of a second port in Lamu to complement the port of Mombasa,” he said. Other than the construction of the three berths, other work going on in tandem include dredging of the channel, land reclamation, the building of a cofferdam and a causeway.
He stated that the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport is one of the chief projects the government was executing to enhance trade between other East African countries.
“Lamu port, will not only present services to the nation but also to landlocked nations of Ethiopia and South Sudan,” he said.
Mr. Nyakera said the government has also set aside US$ 97.1mn for the construction of the LamuWitu-Garsen road. The PS said the 132km road would play a role in the hauling of goods and people between Lamu and Mombasa counties He said the government is also building a nine-km road to link the US$1.9bn coal powered plant at Kwasasi to the Lamu port. The coal power project, he added, would create 1,050MW and increase power supply to the port through the national grid.
