The launch of the project comes two months later after the President opened Phase 2A of the Standard Gauge Railway from Nairobi to Naivasha for passenger services/COURTESY
NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 16- The Naivasha Dry Port project is 90 percent complete and is set to be launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday 17.
The launch of the project comes two months later after the President opened Phase 2A of the Standard Gauge Railway from Nairobi to Naivasha for passenger services.
During the launch, the President said the new project is expected to promote development in East African countries, including Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda which also has a dry port in Naivasha.
According to officials, the earthwork at the Naivasha depot is complete and is now finalizing on the drainage ahead of the commissioning tomorrow.
“The main area is ready for launching and we are now finalizing on the roads and marking ahead of the unveiling,” said one of the project managers who sort to remain anonymous.
The construction of the project officially began on October 25th with a set deadline of 48 days and now features an inland container depot, railway marshaling yard, logistic zone, and a public utility area.
It has a 200 million tonnes capacity and can hold as much as 200,000 containers.
However, the officials remain uncertain whether the cargo operations will start immediately once President Uhuru Kenyatta officially commissions the project.
“The cargo services might not necessarily start immediately but it takes 45 minutes to transit from here to Naivasha and we will also allow cargo clearance to happen in 4 days at no charge,” the official added.
In September, the cabinet approved the Sh6.9 billion budget that has been used for the construction of the Naivasha dry port which is aimed at boosting the railway operations.
State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena had earlier mention the billions will be used to develop an inland container depot, railway marshaling yard, logistics zone, and public utility area.
“It will also fund other core enabling infrastructure to support the development of the Naivasha Special Economic Zone and the impending completion of SGR phase 2A,” said Dena in a statement to newsrooms.
