CONSTRUCTION of Phase II of the second container terminal at the port of Mombasa is awaiting Kenyan government loan agreement, the Japan International Cooperation Agency has said.

JICA and the Kenya Ports Authority signed a ¥320 million, about Sh265 million in March, for commencement of the second phase of the project.

The Japanese government also agreed to fund expansion works at the terminal at a cost of Sh24.7 billion. This is for construction of the berth 22, procurement of equipment and consultancy services.

According to JICA representative in-charge of infrastructure Kenji Yokota, the government needs to agree to the loan terms before designs can be drawn.

Yokota told the Star on Friday, during a tour of the Nairobi Western Ring Road (a Sh2.7 billion Japanese grant project), that the project’s feasibility study is ready.

He said JICA is only waiting on the Kenyan government to effect loan agreements to pave way for the project.

“The funds are ready. We are waiting for effectuation of the loan agreement by the Kenyan government. It has to scrutinise if the process complies with the Kenyan laws. Once effected, KPA can go ahead and procure a consultant,” said Yokota.

According JICA, the designs will take seven months while procurement for a contractor will take at least three months.

“We advice the Kenyan government to use a Japanese contractor who will implement the same technology used in the first phase,” said Yokota.

Japan’s Toyo Construction Ltd is in-charge of the first phase of the Sh27 billion new terminal, currently underway.

Yokota confirmed that the first phase is 85 per cent complete and will be ready a month or two ahead of the March 2016 completion date.

“We are proud of what Toyo has done so far on phase one,” said Yokota.

The second container terminal will have a capacity of 450,000 twenty-foot equivalent units – a measure of a single container capacity.

It is expected to increase the total terminal capacity at Mombasa port to 1.55 million TEU’s from 1.1 million TEUs.

KPA principal public relations officer Hajj Masemo said the process of selecting an operator of the terminal is underway and should complete by September.

Twelve international and regional logistic firms are competing for the 25 year contract.

Source: The Star

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