The Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor Development Authority says the revised deadline for the first berth at Lamu Port will not derail the rest of the project.
The first berth, which had earlier been expected by December 2018, is now due on June 30, 2019. The authority says the other two berths remain on track for completion by 2020.
Construction of the first three berths is taking place at Kililana in Lamu West and is reported to be 60 per cent complete. The package is budgeted at Sh48 billion.
The amount covers the physical construction of the three terminals as well as turning bay preparation, dredging, reclamation work and measures to manage sea waves.
During an inspection visit to the site, Lapsset Corridor Development Authority Director General Silvestre Kasuku said the work was moving ahead and that the agency expected to deliver on schedule.
“The main purpose for our visit is to inspect the general progress of the Lapsset construction. We are finalising with the first berth which is set to be complete by June 30, 2019,” Mr Kasuku said.
He added that the change in the first berth deadline would not affect the wider timetable. “I want to assure Kenyans that there will be no change in the completion dates for all the first three berths. As we look forward to completing the first berth in June, 2019, the other two berths will be ready by the end of 2020 as initially stated.”
Mr Kasuku also said work on the yard area was continuing, with 200 metres already done and another 200 metres under construction for the beams and parking area. He said that section was also expected to be ready by June 2019.
He was accompanied by new Kenya Ports Authority board members led by chairman Joseph Kibwana and managing director Daniel Manduku.
Mr Kibwana said the government had committed significant funds to the port and that KPA would work with the Lapsset authority to ensure proper implementation. He said the country was looking forward to a second port in Lamu after Mombasa.
Mr Manduku said the project would open up the Northern Kenya Corridor to trade and industrialisation. He described it as a major investment for Kenya and said hundreds of young people were already employed at the site, with more jobs expected.
The wider Lapsset plan includes a 32-berth port, rail and highway transport hubs, international airports in Lamu, Isiolo and Lodwar, an oil pipeline from South Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia to Lamu Port, an oil refinery and three resort cities in Isiolo, Lamu and Turkana.
Once complete, the full project is expected to cost the government about Sh2.5 trillion.
