In Summary

• Uhuru is expected to preside over the reception of the first ship to dock at the new port at berth one.
• Traders have started gearing up for increased business ahead of the operationalization of the Lamu port.

The Kenya Ports Authority on Saturday shipped the second and final batch of equipment to the Lamu port ahead of its official operationalisation on Thursday.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to receive the first ship to dock at berth one in the new port.

The Lamu port is expected to have 23 berths once completed and will be receiving bigger ships.

So far, only berth one is complete.

Berths two and three are 95 and 75 per cent complete, and will have cost the country at least Sh40 billion once the three berths are complete.

The first batch of the consignment was shipped to Lamu two weeks ago and is already at the Lamu port.

“The current shipment of two Rubber Tyred Gantry [RTG] cranes and Kenya Revenue Authority scanner machines and other equipment could not be done in any other way but by sea,” KPA captain Geoffrey Namadoa said on Saturday.

He said the equipment could not be transported with the first consignment due to their fragility.

Namadoa spoke after witnessing the shipment of the second consignment of equipment from berth number 20 in Mombasa.

The KPA officer said they had prepared the shipment a day earlier as they waited for the tide level to roll out the equipment for shipment to Lamu port.

Namadoa said two RTG cranes are key to utilisation in the yard during the offloading of cargo and containers from the ship.

“The trip for the second batch of equipment is expected to take 24 hours due to the nature of the sea,” he said.

Traders in Lamu have started gearing up for increased business ahead of the operationalisation of the port.

Most agencies involved in port operations have set up offices at the Lamu port and are ready for operation.

They include Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Revenue Authority and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service.

The Kenya National Highways Authority has doubled its efforts and is fast-tracking the completion of roads that will serve the port.

In Hindi, traders said with the Lamu port in operation, there will be increased business for them because of the expected increased traffic.

Virginia Maina, a retail shopkeeper, said since the construction works of the Lamu port started, there has been increased business for her.

She has been working in Hindi since 2012.

“Then, there was no proper road. Business was low because traffic was less. There was not even a graded road,” Maina said.

The Lamu port catalysed improvements in the road network that in turn increased traffic.

“This brought a lot of business. I have taken a loan to expand my business because I know there will be more customers,” Maina told the Star.

“The tarmacked roads meant that goods reached here faster and prices reduced. I was also forced to reduce prices of goods and more customers came,” she said.

Maina said security has improved with more regular patrols by security agents.

“In 2012, there were only about five of us in this entire stretch. Now we are 15. This place is opening up,” she said.

Samuel Mutwiri, a miraa seller, said with increased road and port works going on, more youths in the area were employed.

“This meant they had the money to buy miraa. Business is increasing and with the opening of Lamu port, things, I believe will only be better,” he said.

Mutwiri called on the government not to forget about feeder roads in the area.

“The government has been focussing on the main roads. Now we would like to see these feeder roads being improved too because most of the business is along the main road,” he said.

Nicholas Kibet, who sells automotive lubricants, said at the moment there is no time wastage on the road because of the improved network.

“Flow of customers is not bad. People are moving more frequently and faster now. That means more business for us,” Kibet said.

He attributed the increased traffic to improved roads leading to the Lamu port, which has also led to increased security.

“Before the roads were improved, there were frequent attacks on motorists because they moved slowly. Now they move faster as the road is good and there is little chance of being attacked,” Kibet said.

At the Mokowe jetty, workers hope to reap big from the Lamu port.

Bonaya Galgalo, a loader at the jetty, said the opening of the Lamu port will bring in more people meaning there will be more business for him.

“Already, we are experiencing more visitors coming in,” he said.

Galgalo said they hope to get jobs at Lamu port once it starts operations.

“Let the government give us some of the jobs that we can do because most of us here only reached Form 4,” he said.

Ramadhan Mbwana, alias Njoroge, a conductor on one of the boats at the Mokowe jetty, said they are ready to go work at the port.

“We only need the chance. Our main hope is that there will be increased visitors to this place because of the Lamu port.”

Mote Bunu, a boat operator in Mokowe, said lately there have been more visitors, including government officials visiting Lamu.

“They come to inspect works at the Lamu Port, and we transport them. This is business for us,” he said.

He said with the Lamu port opening, there will be more investment in Lamu meaning there will be more business for them.

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