This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
Kenya and South Sudan Strengthen Trade Ties ¶
On July 1, 2019, Kenya and South Sudan announced a raft of deals to deepen their trade ties. The agreements include a plan for Kenya to hold a trade expo in Juba in November.
As part of the agreements, Kenya has allocated land for a dry port to South Sudan at the Naivasha Special Economic Zone and for a logistics hub near the new Lamu Port. This move adds to a similar land deal between Kenya and Uganda sealed in March 2019.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni confirmed in March that President Uhuru Kenyatta had given his country land in Naivasha for the construction of a dry port.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his South Sudanese counterpart, Salva Kiir, announced the agreements at a joint press conference at State House, Nairobi, after bilateral talks.
President Kenyatta revealed that the Kenya Government has set aside 10 acres of land at the Inland Container Depot in Naivasha Industrial Park for use as a dry port by the Government of South Sudan.
He also assured South Sudan that Kenya is fast-tracking the completion of the LAPSSET projects, including transnational highways, an oil pipeline, and the Lamu Port.
The President said the first berth of the Lamu Port would be ready in August 2019, while Berths 2 and 3 were expected to be completed within the year 2020.
Kenya and South Sudan also agreed to put more efforts into completing trans-national highways, including the Eldoret-Lokichoggio-Nadapal-Kapoeta-Torit-Juba Road.
President Kenyatta emphasized the importance of fast-tracking the implementation of the LAPSSET Corridor Highway, which would link Lamu to Juba.
He also announced that Kenya would hold a trade expo in Juba this year, which would showcase Kenyan products and expose South Sudan's products to Kenyan business people.
The two leaders also initiated efforts to guide amicable resolution of disputes that may arise over their shared border and announced that a ministerial team had concluded an MOU on delimitation and demarcation of common borders.
