Lamu Port Set to be Launched in Mid-February
By The Coast Newspaper Team
The government is set to launch the first berth in Lamu mid-February, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Transport James Macharia announced on Tuesday.
President Uhuru Kenyatta will grace the event.
Up to five heads of state from the region are also expected to attend the mega launch.
Speaking during a regional ministerial meeting on Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport LAPSSET the CS said a pioneer ship owned by Maersk Shipping Line would also dock during the launch.
Macharia said “This is a continental project. We postponed to give guests from South Africa an opportunity to attend.
The Transport boss further insisted that the construction of the second and third berths would be completed by the end of the year.
At the same time, David Hassan South Sudan Minister in charge of Transport reiterated the country’s commitment in the construction of the road from Juba to Cameroon.
At the same time, Ethiopian ambassador to Kenya Meles Alem said his country has already completed the construction of a 500 kilometre road connecting the town of Awasa in Ethiopia to Moyale in Kenya.
He however dismissed allegations questioning the country’s commitment in implementing the project.
“As a country we are not lagging behind on this. Our commitment to this is not anchored on diplomatic ties but it is about the economic benefit of our people,”
According to him LAPSEET will promote regional integration through trans-border trade and investments.
Meanwhile, African Union High Representative on Infrastructure Raila Odinga said once completed LAPSSET will boost trade between East and West Africa.
Said the AU HR representative “LAPSSET is an idea that time has come. We must re-energize and give new impetus to the implementation of the corridor”