This archive report was first published on 15 August 2019.
On August 15, 2019, the launch of the refurbished Kisumu Port, a key project in President Uhuru Kenyatta's handshake with Raila Odinga, was cancelled at the last minute.
The event was expected to be attended by five other East African presidents, including Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, John Magufuli of Tanzania, Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and Salva Kiir of South Sudan.
According to State House spokesperson Kanze Dena, the event was organised by the port launch committee, and they informed State House that the event had been postponed.
State House said it had received communication from the committee on the postponement, but could not provide reasons for the decision.
However, sources close to the committee revealed that the postponement was due to delays in completing works at the port, including the fencing of the port area and the clearance of the port area.
Other officials who attended a series of meetings led by Regional Commissioner James Kianda stated that a few areas had not been finalised, which occasioned the postponement.
Mr Kianda was unavailable for comment, but a text message to him read: 'We will update at the appropriate time.'
