Uhuru Kenyatta News

The first ships docked at Kenya's deep water Lamu Port on Thursday as the country looks to open a new transport corridor linking its vast northern region and neighboring nations to the sea.Kenyan officials hope that the Indian Ocean port, the country's second deep water facility, will attract cargo destined for neighboring landlocked nations Ethiopia and South Sudan, and offer transhipment services where large vessels bring in cargo for onward distribution by smaller ships.The Lamu Port…

The launch of a coastguard in Kenya - one of a handful in Africa - could cut illegal fishing and boost the economy, experts said on Tuesday, although the service only has one boat so far.Kenya loses about $97 million a year to foreign boats fishing without permission, President Uhuru Kenyatta said at the launch on Monday, vowing to crack down on drug, people and arms smuggling along Kenya's lengthy coast."The role of the coastguard is quite pivotal," said David Obura, coordinator for a coastal research organisation, Cordio East Africa. "Just like on land, until you establish security of tenure its very challenging to manage it."Africa's fish stocks are being depleted by industrial trawlers which comb the oceans to feed European and Asian markets…

Kenya on Saturday inaugurated the first part of a new container terminal at Mombasa which is expected to boost by 50 percent the volume of cargo handled by East Africa's largest seaport. Construction of the 30 billion shilling ($296.74 million)terminal began in March 2012 and was completed in February this year. The project was financed by a loan from Japan through the Japan International cooperation agency (JICA), and Kenya will repay the loan over a 40-year period. A gateway to East and Central Africa, the Indian Ocean port funnels imports of fuel and consumer goods as well as exports of tea and coffee from landlocked neighbours such as Uganda and Rwanda.

Kenya is ready to begin work on the first three berths at a long-delayed port on its northern coast, next to the historic trading town of Lamu, President Uhuru Kenyatta said in his annual State of the Nation address on Thursday. The Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) project, first proposed in the 1970s, will give landlocked South Sudan and Ethiopia access to the Indian Ocean and bolster the economy of northern Kenya. "The administrative infrastructure for this project is complete, and I will in the next few days break ground on the construction of the initial three berths of Lamu port," Kenyatta told a gathering of Parliament.

Kenyan government vowed to strengthen maritime safety and security to help exploit maritime resources. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta called for closer cooperation, and effective coordination of all maritime policy at the different decision- making levels both at regional and continental levels. Given that the maritime industry is the carrier of 92 percent of Kenya's international trade by volume, and given the importance of international trade to Keny's prosperity, the choice of investment was prudent too, Kenyatta said. Kenyatta said a special focus must be put on training so that the country's maritime skills match the infrastructure being developed to exploit maritime resources. He said that a public university will soon start to offer training in maritime studies.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said that the construction of the proposed Lamu port is set to begin next month, with the promise of more jobs and expanded regional trade. The facility, which is part of the Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor project, will provide an opportunity for exploitation of Kenya’s expansive maritime resources, he said. Kenya’s maritime domain extends over 230,000 square kilometres — the equivalent of about 31 of our 47 counties. This vast resource has hitherto lain untapped by Kenyans. Special attention must be paid to education and training, so that our skills match the infrastructure we are building, he added.

Kenya will start construction work next month on a long-delayed new port to be built on its northern coast, next to the historic trading town of Lamu, the presidency announced on Monday. The Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) project is intended to include a port, new roads, a railway and a pipeline by 2030 that will give landlocked South Sudan and Ethiopia access to the Indian Ocean. The overall price of the project, first proposed in the 1970s, has been put at $25.5 billion. Among the reasons for the delay are demands from landowners for greater compensation. "Construction of the Lamu port begins next month, President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced," the presidency said in a statement, without specifying the scope of the work.

Workers at Kenya's main port of Mombasa stopped operations for hours on Thursday, demanding more pay and paralysing dock work at the region's main gateway, union and management officials said, with the possibility of more disruptions this week. The port, the biggest in the east African region, handles imports such as fuel for Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia, and its throughput is an indicator of regional economic activity. Workers jammed the main entrance to the port's administrative headquarters, abandoning waiting ships. Union officials said the stoppage was caused by a failure by management to implement a collective bargaining agreement signed between the union and management in 2013.

Kenya on Friday launched a single electronic system for processing imports and exports, to simplify red tape blamed for holding up trade in the trading hub of the region. Kenya is the main trade gateway to east Africa, through its Indian Ocean port of Mombasa, but traders say it takes too long to get goods cleared and permit-related delays ramp up costs. Previously, entrepreneurs had to fill several forms and visit 24 different government agencies to get the permits and pay the levies, fees, duties and taxes they need to get goods across borders.