On Sunday President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the lakeside city to inspect the refurbished Sh3 billion Kisumu port ahead of its official reopening whose date is yet to be announced.
The restoration and rehabilitation of the port are said to Raila’s demands from President Kenyatta as a result of the handshake between them.
Sources within the President’s inner circle say the President will open the port in October.
The government is looking forward to restoring the once vibrant East Africa hub to its glory days through the renovation of the port that will allow bigger vessels to dock in Kisumu hence enhancing trade with neighboring countries.
During his unannounced visit to Kisumu, the President was accompanied by General Kibochi Robert Chief of Defense Force, Philip Mainga Kenya Railways Managing Director, and Matilda Sakwa the Director-General NYS.
Sources say the MV Uhuru ship has done around 17 commercial trips to Port Belt and Jinja since December last year and has transported over 17,000 liters of fuel.
The renovated port was expected to be officially commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo in August last year but has since been continuously postponed.
The heading back to Nairobi, the President also inspected the railway-line.
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A week ago Interior PS Karanja Kibicho said the Covid-19 pandemic had slowed down the preparations to reopen the mega project but noted that as soon as the coronavirus curve is flattened, President Kenyatta will announce a date to officially launched it.
On the other end, the NYS team has already begun clearing bushes on the 217-kilometer Nakuru-Kisumu railway as the Sh3.8 billion rehabilitation project begins and is expected to be done in the next eight months.
Mutua said the four months clearing works will enable the KDF team to begin refurbishing the meter-gauge railway.
“We are committed to delivering the project within the given time without delays. The NYS will also do other manual work,” he said.
Defense CAS Peter Odoyo said President Uhuru and his handshake partner Raila Odinga were committed to revamping the Kisumu Port and Nakuru-Kisumu railway to boost regional trade.
Related:President Uhuru Kenyatta lands in Kisumu, meets up with Raila Odinga
