President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to commission a number of projects in Kisumu County during his five-day tour of the Lakeside city ahead of the Madaraka Day celebrations on Tuesday.
The projects, which are valued in excess of Sh 25billion, are widely viewed as the fruits of the March 9, 2018 ‘handshake’ between President Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga. They include the renewed Nakuru-Kisumu Metre Gauge Railway, refurbished Kisumu Port, Jomo Kenyatta Stadium, Uhuru Business Park, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Complex, 400kv Olkaria-Lessos-Kisumu transmission line, and the Kibos Inland Container Depot.
President Kenyatta is also expected to commission Kisumu’s first marine school at the Railway Training Institute, among other major projects. According to the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), rehabilitation of the Nakuru-Kisumu MGR is almost complete.
Regional business hub
Rehabilitation of the 216km railway that connects to the refurbished Kisumu Port has been undertaken by the Kenya Defence Forces in partnership with KRC at a cost of Sh3.8 billion. It will facilitate transportation of cargo and passengers to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo on commercial ships via Lake Victoria.
Another project set for unveiling is the refurbished Kisumu Port, which was upgraded at a cost of Sh3 billion in a bid to help Kisumu regain its status as a regional business hub. Works involved in the prot include; construction of the quayside, concreting of the port yard, rehabilitation of the dry dock, and installation of cargo handling equipment. The roads and the link roads to the port have also been rehabilitated, with jetties and piers also being put in place. There is also an overhaul of dilapidated boat deplorers (ramps for lowering boats onto the lake) to boost efficiency.
The construction of the 308km 400/220/132kV transmission line from Olkaria in Naivasha to Kisumu is a big deal for western Kenya. The Sh16 billion line will soon evacuate electricity from Olkaria through Lessos, to Kisumu and supply stable power to Kisumu Port.
Iconic recreational park
Also set for commissioning is the Sh700 million Uhuru Business Park on Nyerere Road, whose phase one has just been concluded by Infinity Development, a company owned by slain Somali-American businessman, Mohamud Bashir Mohamed.
President Kenyatta will also open the 20,000-capacity Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium at Momboleo ASK Show Ground, which has been upgraded at a cost of Sh350 million. The head of state will also launch the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Complex, an iconic recreational park within the city centre, which has been upgraded at a cost of Sh200 million.
Previously known as Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground, the facility has been renamed to immortalise Kenya’s first Vice President, Mzee Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. He will then launch the Inland Container Depot Kisumu (ICDK) that has been set up on 17.5-hectares at Kibos on the shores of Lake Victoria. The ICDK has a stacking area designed for an annual throughput of 15,000 teu (twenty-foot equivalent unit).
