The Port of Lamu is proposed to receive its marine cargo vessel on May 20, 2021, with the docking of the first ship at Berth One.
This follows an inspection tour on Thursday by Treasury CS Ukur Yatani on the ongoing construction works at the Port of Lamu.
Yatani was accompanied by his Petroleum and Mining counterpart John Munyes as they met the Joint Steering Committee on the operationalization of the Port.
The CSs were briefed that KPA has already deployed 70 staff to the port, with an additional 100 staff to be recruited locally from Lamu by the proposed date of opening.
The necessary operational systems including ICT systems and equipment is now in place to off-load goods from ships.
To ensure that the port operations are running smoothly, KRA has already deployed officers to the Port and all their systems for goods clearance are already in place.
Incentives relating to fees and charges for using and clearing goods at the Port – as requested by stakeholders - will be gazetted for at least a period of one year, in the next few days, to promote usage of the Port by the business and logistics sectors.
Facilitative agencies such as Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and port health services are ready to start operations at the Port.
The acquisition of Ship-to-Shore (STS) equipment will be fast-tracked to attract larger vessels to the Port.
All agreements on the compensation of fishermen affected by the Port’s development have been finalized.
Evacuation of goods from the Port by road have been effectively addressed, with the new road between Lamu and Garsen completed except for a stretch of 4kms to be completed by the end of May 2021.
CS Yatani also met with stakeholders whom he assured of the government’s commitment to promoting the Port and developing the infrastructure around it.
On their part, the stakeholders who included the Kenya Association of Freight Forwarders, Kenya Transport Association as well as Maersk Shipping Lines, Lamu Shipping Ltd. and Express Shipping and Logistics Agency, thanked the government for the progress of the works and assured them of the sector’s full support in using the Lamu Port to evacuate cargo.
Also represented in the meeting in Lamu were the Chairs of agencies under the Kenya Transport & Logistics Network and other agencies involved in the operationalization of the Port.
They are ICDC chairman John Ngumi, Kenya Ports Authority chairman Joseph Kibwana, KRA chairman Francis Muthaura, LAPSSET Corridor Devpt. Authority chairman Titus Imbui, Kenya Railways Corporation chairman Major-Gen Pastor Awitti and KeNHA chairman Wangai Ndirangu.
