Editor's Review
Lamu Port has received its second major shipment of heavy construction machinery destined for the Dangote East Africa Refinery project.
Lamu Port has received its second major shipment of heavy construction machinery destined for the Dangote East Africa Refinery project.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 21, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said the latest delivery highlighted the growing role of Lamu Port in supporting major energy and transport infrastructure projects across East Africa.
"Following the Dangote East Africa Refinery project’s groundbreaking last month, the port of Lamu successfully completed the offloading of its second major shipment of heavy construction machinery, signalling accelerated momentum for East Africa's expanding energy and transport ecosystem," the statement read.
According to KPA, the shipment was transported aboard the vessel MV Great Prosperity, which completed the discharge of more than 8,000 metric tons of machinery and equipment.
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"MV Great Prosperity today completed the discharge of 154 heavy machinery units, including articulated dump trucks and assorted specialized hardware totalling 8,213 metric tons," the statement added.
Caleb Nthusi, an Operations Executive at Inchcape Shipping and the vessel’s local agent, confirmed that the delivery marked the initial phase of a broader logistics pipeline expected to support construction activities at the refinery.
According to Nthusi, more shipments carrying heavy construction equipment were expected to arrive through Lamu Port in the coming months to sustain the ongoing works.
"According to Nthusi, additional fleets carrying heavy equipment are scheduled to arrive through the Port of Lamu over the coming months to sustain ongoing construction," KPA further said.
This comes weeks after Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna stepped up his criticism of President William Ruto over the government's handling of documents concerning the construction of the Dangote East Africa Oil Refinery in Lamu.
In an update on Wednesday, October 7, Sifuna accused the administration of blocking efforts to access information through Parliament.
"The reason Ruto speaks confidently in rallies telling us to use 'formal channels' to get documents held by the state is he knows his gatekeepers in Parliament will never approve this business to make it to the floor," he wrote.
Sifuna argued that Ruto's calls for Kenyans to use formal channels to obtain government documents were undermined by what he described as resistance within Parliament.
He said the proposed Lamu refinery had faced a similar setback after efforts to obtain detailed information on the project through the Senate.
"This one on the Lamu Refinery has suffered the same fate. We must uproot this entire system in 2027 to rescue our country," he added.
Sifuna had on Friday, October 2, written to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi seeking a statement from the Standing Committee on Energy regarding the proposed construction of the refinery.
In his letter, the Nairobi Senator said he supported development and foreign investment but insisted that major infrastructure projects must be undertaken within the law.
Sifuna argued that the Lamu refinery must comply with the constitutional principles of transparency, accountability, public participation and sustainable development, as well as environmental sustainability and public finance management.
He further cited Articles 201 and 227 of the Constitution, which require transparency and disclosure of project information, contracting processes and financial dealings to promote accountability and prevent corruption.
