This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
Kenya is banking on increased regional oil trade to change the fortunes of the revamped Kisumu port, which is set to be officially opened on August 14, 2019. The port, upgraded at a cost of Sh3 billion, is expected to be opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni, Tanzania’s Pombe Magufuli and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said growing demand for oil products in the region is expected to give impetus to efforts at reviving the revamped port. The government is also considering an extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha or revival of the old metre-gauge railway as a long-term solution.
However, Macharia said the option of connecting the SGR to old Naivasha-Malaba metre gauge was just an interim measure. "We had to look at the economics, but if the SGR (connection) takes too long, the Nakuru-Kisumu line remains an option we can turn to because Kisumu is part of the Northern Corridor,” he said.
The government is also banking heavily on Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to keep the facility active. Exports through the port include fertiliser, cement, rice, edible oil and general dry cargo such as spare parts.
