Kenya launches mega port project

mony to mark the official start of build­ing work near Lamu island in Kenya’s southeast.
“I have no doubt that this day will go down in history as one of the defining moments, when we made a major stride to connect our people to the many socio-economic opportunities that lie ahead,” Kibaki said.
The project will provide the “land­locked countries of our region with a direct and dependable route to the sea” and help connect “the entire East and Central African region to international markets,” he added. Nairobi hopes the US$24,5 billion  scheme will turn the East African country into a regional economic hub and propel it to become a middle-income economy in the next two decades. Dancers and singers marked the formal start of construction at the inauguration at the Indian Ocean shore where pristine mangrove forest is already being chopped down and cleared.
The port to be constructed with 32 berths and be connected to Ethiopia and oil-rich South Sudan by a super-highway, a railway and a pipeline to export Juba’s crude.
“We look forward to extend our full cooperation to make sure that this proj­ect is brought to full fruition,” said Meles, calling the launch an “historic event”.
The project is expected to be funded by regional financial institutions, gov­ernments and international lenders, with China believed to have a major stake.
Kibaki, in a speech thanking organisations including the World Bank, African Development Bank and African Union, singled out China as being “extremely supportive” of the project.
Kenya is already the regional economic powerhouse, but argues its existing main transport corridor — built 100 years ago by British settlers — was no longer spurring more develop­ment. However, Lamu residents protest that the huge port, although located some 10 kilometres from the Unesco-listed island, will impact on their livelihoods and accuse the govern­ment of ignoring their concerns. — AFP.