Kenya, Ethiopia agree to boost trade through Lamu Port

The Port of Lamu is set for more activity following agreements between Kenya and neighbouring countries to increasingly use it as a regional transhipment hub.

This is according to President William Ruto who revealed on Thursday that he recently reached an agreement with landlocked Ethiopia to use the port to move imported goods to the hinterland.

"We have agreed with the Government of Ethiopia to start using Lamu Port so that we can create more jobs and grow the economy of this region," Ruto said when he launched the first Kenya-Off Grid Solar Access Projects in Ndau Island, Lamu County, on Thursday.

President Ruto added that he would soon host regional leaders at the Lamu Port, Kenya's second-largest after the Port of Mombasa.

It is also a major component of the Lamu Port-South Sudan- Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor, which has been in development since 2012.

Further, Ruto announced that the first three modern berths at the Lamu Port are complete and ready for use. He added that the government has set aside Ksh.1.7 billion to compensate fisherfolk who were displaced to facilitate the construction of the port.

Later, President Ruto launched the 468-unit Mokowe Affordable Housing Project in Lamu West Constituency, which he said would create job opportunities for young people in the area.

On electricity, he said the National Government will connect 7,000 households in Lamu County to power at a cost of Ksh.600 million in this financial year.

The President reiterated that the discriminatory practices that denied parts of the country development resources have ended, and every part of Kenya must belong.

He urged Lamu residents to shun tribalism, which can foment hatred and division among the diverse communities living in the county.

In Tana River County, President Ruto commissioned the Bura Gravity Canal (Korakora–Nanighi), which will expand the acreage under irrigation from 6,000 to 25,000 acres.

“Seventy per cent of the funding for this project came from the government because we recognise the importance of agriculture in producing food to eradicate hunger,” he said.

The President pointed out that the government is giving priority to investment in agriculture to make Kenya food secure and eliminate the shame of hunger.

He said the plan will not only create wealth for farmers, but also reduce reliance on imports that strain the country's foreign exchange reserves.

At the same time, President Ruto urged Kenyans to reject politicians dividing the country along tribal lines. He said such leaders have resorted to outdated tribal politics because they lack a plan that could take the country forward.

“We will not allow people who have no plan, vision or agenda for the country to derail us with negative ethnicity and useless politics that divides the nation,” he said.

The President went on: "We must stay united. We are one people and one nation with a common destiny."