This archive report was first published on 13 November 2019.
On November 11, 2019, the first locomotive engine was taken through a trial run on the suitability of the rails from the port to the Kenya Pipeline in Kisumu. This move marked a significant step towards the official opening of the port, which is set to be launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Four Principal Secretaries, led by Paul Maringa, visited the Kisumu Port as part of preparations for its official opening. The delegation included Joseph Njoroge (Energy), John Omenge (Mining), and Dr Gordon Kihalangwa (Public Works). The officials were accompanied by a host of technical people from the line ministries.
According to Prof Maringa, the team is a sub-committee of the National Development Implementation Technical Committee (NDITC), whose mandate is to ensure the implementation of national government projects. The officials are set to conduct a dry run at the port to ensure everything is on course.
There were conflicting reports yesterday about when the President will be in Kisumu to open the port. Some government officials said he would visit by Friday, while others said he was likely to be there towards the end of the month.
“This high power delegation here is to demonstrate the value of Kisumu Port and the investment the government is putting here, as well as the concerted efforts of the accelerated works here in the past several months to ensure the port is operational,” Prof Maringa said.
Ahead of the launch, a blue economy conference is set to be hosted in Kisumu on Friday, which the PS said will provide a roadmap on the operationalisation of the port. The port had initially been set for opening in August, but the event was postponed after it emerged that the works were incomplete.
