This archive report was first published on 3 October 2019.
Published on October 3, 2019, the renovation of Kenya's third-largest port is nearing completion, with the country awaiting the synchronisation of regional presidential diaries for the official launch ceremony.
Indications are that all six presidents in the larger East African region will attend the event in Kisumu, Kenya. The presidents expected to attend include John Magufuli of Tanzania, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi, Salva Kiir of South Sudan, and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The port has been refurbished at a cost of Sh3 billion, with plans to modernise it further in a project funded by the World Bank to the tune of Sh22.5 billion.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga will host the event, which is expected to be historic due to the economic benefits that citizens in the region will draw from the port.
The port's connections will help cement the region's resources, natural and human, which are beyond measure. If amalgamated into a single unit with uniform rules of trade and a universal monetary regime, the region will form a formidable global powerhouse.
The region's combined Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated to be greater than most countries in the developed world. The geographical location of the region is also strategic in more aspects than one.
The event will send a political and social message to the world: that the region, with a massive 150 million people, is speaking in one voice and inching closer to a marriage of souls.
The potential market value of this union cannot be gainsaid, which is why the World Bank is interested. However, what will accrue from the intended integration is bigger than just economic benefits.
The region is likely to achieve advanced social and political cohesion once a real East Africa federation with political and economic integration is set in place. This will help iron out the various internal squabbles of ethnic and regional nature that colour the individual countries as we know them now.
