Dredging of Kisumu port to revolutionise business

Excitement is in the air in Kisumu as the near-completion of dredging at the rehabilitated Sh3 billion port is expected to increase traffic and revolutionise business in the lakeside city.

Dredging and deepening of the port basin will make it easier for larger vessels to dock, restore Kisumu as a commercial hub and boost the nation’s status as the gateway to East Africa.

The project scope, which covers the Kenya Pipeline Company turning basin, deep sea approach channel and the Mbita Causeway, is 70 per cent complete.

“Kisumu port will soon be able to receive larger vessels with the capacity to handle more cargo volumes once the ongoing renovations and dredging works at the port is complete,” Kenya Ports Authority said in a statement on Tuesday.

Dredging means removing silt to enhance the depth to 1.6 metres around the pier to allow big vessels to dock.

The project was launched in January by ODM leader Raila Odinga, who is also the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development, and is being handled by Mango Tree Marine Limited.

Expand port

The contractor was expected to dredge a stretch of 61.3 kilometres, starting from the pier in Kisumu, all the way to Mbita in Homa Bay County. The contractor was also tasked to expand the Kisumu port by 400 metres to create more room for ships to dock.

KPA said the channel is being dredged to a depth of minus seven metres from the current minus 4.5 and minus 2.5 metres for the Mbita causeway.

The inland port has already experienced an increase in cargo volumes, with the trend expected to continue once the dredging is completed.

The full utilisation of the port is being touted to reduce traffic at the port of Mombasa, which is a key entry and exit point for cargo traded along the Northern Corridor that serves Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

In the first year of operation, the authority targets to handle at least 10 per cent of cargo exported to Uganda, the biggest transit destination for goods imported through Mombasa.

This means that exporters and importers from Uganda and hinterland states will not have to travel to the Coast, but will have their goods cleared at Africa’s biggest inland dry dock.

Wagon ferry

The refurbished wagon ferry (MV Uhuru) recently launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Uganda’s MV Kaawa – with a capacity of shipping one million litres of fuel on every trip –  have also helped the country to embark on bulk shipping of petroleum products to Kampala and other EAC member states.

The fuel is loaded at the Kenya Pipeline Company depot in Kisumu using Kenya Railways wagons and rolled in the vessels before being voyaged across Lake Victoria on an average of 13 trips per a month.

“For every trip made by the giant vessel, it would have taken 50 trucks to ferry a million litres of fuel. It will only take a month to clear what truckers do in a whole year,” said Kisumu port manager Charles Kitur.

Other than fuel, Kenya also exports fertiliser, beer, cement, steel bars, common salt and assortment of manufactured goods.

Agricultural commodities

Uganda brings agricultural commodities, key among them, maize and vegetables as well as processed products such as sugar and milk.

While presiding over the dredging exercise in January, Mr Odinga noted that the multibillion-shilling project – touted to be one of the major fruits of handshake – will turn the fortunes of the lake region.

The desilting and expansion works are expected to be extended up to 400 metres and will accommodate an average of 10 huge ships at a go.

[email protected]