Building of Lamu port, pipeline and rail to Addis on course: CS
By MATHIAS RINGA
Posted Tuesday, June 28 2016 at 16:56
Construction of Lamu port is on course with the first berth expected to be completed in March 2018.
Transport Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera said the government was building the first three berths in Lamu at a cost of $480 million (Sh48 billion). He noted that building of the berths started in 2014 and the government has in the last three months paid the contractor Sh4 billion up from the previous Sh2 billion.
“Within the next three weeks the government will deliver dredgers to help in the civil works of the ongoing Lamu port project,” he said. Mr Nyakera added that the port received a major boost three weeks ago when Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich announced that the government had set aside Sh10 billion for the project.
“The government is committed to the implementation of the Lamu port project as it will serve the country and neighbours Ethiopia and South Sudan,” he said.
Mr Nyakera said he was impressed by the progress of the project which will cost a total of $24.6 billion (Sh2.46 trillion).
Last week, the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) project got another boost when Kenya and Ethiopia signed a new deal on building an oil pipeline.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn signed the agreement on the proposed pipeline which will run from Lamu to Addis Ababa.
Mr Nyakera said apart from the pipeline, the two countries were in the process of constructing a railway line to connect Lamu and Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia, he added, had already started building the railway line up to Moyale in Kenya.
“The designing of the 1,000km line from Lamu to Moyale has already been done, paving the way for a feasibility study,” he said.
The PS said the project would boost transportation of cargo and passengers as well as trade.
Mr Nyakera said that a team from the US’ Federal Aviation Administration was expected in the country in July for a safety audit of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in preparation for direct flights to the US.
mringa@ke.nationmedia.com
