President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday, May 31, 2021, launched the multi-billion Kisumu Shipyard.
The Head of State was accompanied by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Burundi President General Evariste Ndayishimiye, First Lady Angeline Ndayishimiye, ODM Leader Raila Odinga, Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o among other local and national leaders.
The multi-billion project is part of Kenya Shipyards Limited's (KSL) aim to establish and develop the growth of shipbuilding industry in Kenya and the East African community at large.
The new Kisumu Shipyard will play a pivotal role in growing Kisumu Port into a modern regional lake transport hub. The Kisumu yard is the second of KSL's facilities with the largest under construction in Mombasa.
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President Kenyatta and his Burundi counterpart laid the foundation for MV Uhuru 2, the first ship to be built in Kisumu after 70 years. The port was established in 1901.
With 93 metres of length and a gross weight of 2,500 tonnes, MV Uhuru operated by Kenya Railways can do 10 round trips for the 224-KM journey in a month.
The shipyard was rehabilitated by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), is part of the Lake Transport revival plan. This becomes one of the projects the Head of State assigned to KDF in a bid to have them play a key role in industrialisation.
Inside the port is part of the 217km Nakuru-Kisumu railway line that is currently being rehabilitated by the National Youth Service (NYS) at a cost of Ksh3.8 billion.
The port also has access to the Kenya Pipeline Corporation's (KPC) 45 million-litre capacity Kisumu depot. It is also linked to the National Cereals and Produce Board depot for the evacuation and depositing of grains.
The port is set to play a major role in the movement of cargo goods in and out of the East African Community.
