Murkomen to appear before MPs over proposed leasing of ports private firms

Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure is set to meet Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over the proposed leasing of sections of Mombasa and Lamu ports to private investors.

The CS will meet members of the committee at Continental House, Parliament Buildings on Thursday at 10 am to explain the proposals.

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has said it wants to lease parts of key ports to generate at least US$10 billion annually by 2030.

KPA is seeking private investors to take over the operations and management of five critical port facilities – Mombasa and Lamu ports, Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zones, Kisumu Port, and Shimoni Fisheries Port through a public-private partnership.

KPA has already begun the process of leasing nine assets, which include the Lamu Container Terminal berth 1-3, Lamu Special Economic Zone, Mombasa Port’s berth 11-14 and Mombasa Port Container Terminal 1.

Kenya’s trade route has recently come under intense competition with the landlocked countries of Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda preferring to use the Tanzanian route which has seen total cargo passing through Mombasa, drop to 33.74 million metric tonnes in 2022 from 34.76 million tonnes in 2021.

Tanzania has been giving Kenya stiff competition in building trade with their landlocked East African neighbours, as business people in the region complain about deficiencies with Kenya’s port at Mombasa.

Access to the ocean gives Kenya and Tanzania a big trade advantage over their neighbours Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

All have to transit goods through the Indian Ocean ports of Mombasa, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

During the meeting with the committee, Murkomen will also brief MPs on the set standards of road bumps and enforcement.

He will also address members on plans the Ministry has put in place to address the abandoning of road project sites by contractors and measures for their maintenance.

Kenya Airports Authority acting managing director Henry Ogoye, who will accompany the CS will brief MPs on matters relating to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport land.

The government has said it has resolved a dispute over land for the construction of a new terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The construction process of the new terminal will begin next year.