Kenya to allocate Uganda land in Naivasha

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said Uganda will be allocated land in Naivasha to build a dry port for its cargo to ease the cost of transporting goods between the two countries.

Speaking during a state banquet at State House, Mombasa on Wednesday night, the head of state said this is in line with the extending of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Kampala.

President Kenyatta said by August this year, the SGR will have reached Naivasha adding that his government will avail land in the town for Uganda to develop a dry port for its cargo.

“I have confirmed to President Museveni that with that development in Naivasha and then moving the SGR to Malaba, goods will be able to move from Mombasa to Malaba in just two days,” President Kenyatta said.

He said as Kenya implements the long-term plan to move all cargo from the road to the SGR, his administration is working on the complete elimination of barriers that slow down movement of cargo such as multiple roadblocks and unnecessary weigh bridges.

“But more importantly, it (SGR) will reduce the cost of transport for Ugandan investors and Uganda itself. It will improve efficiency of Mombasa Port to the benefit of our people,” said President Kenyatta.

On the transportation of petroleum products, President Kenyatta said his government was finalizing the construction of the Kisumu petroleum jetty.

“For the first time since colonial days, we are utilizing Lake Victoria for transportation thereby reducing the cost of moving fuel (petroleum) to Uganda and increasing potential for trade between the two countries,” he said.

President Museveni said African countries must embrace economic and political integration in order to spur prosperity and ensure strategic security for their citizens.

He praised the founding fathers of African states such as Julius Nyerere, Jomo Kenyatta, Kwameh Nkrumah, Sekou Toure and other Pan Africanists for championing continental and regional economic and political integration.

The Ugandan leader hailed the revival of the East African Community, joining of COMESA by East African states and signing of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) saying those were progressive steps towards the political integration of the continent.

“Economic integration if it is implemented properly will result in the modernization of African countries. They will be stimulated to produce more,” said President Museveni.

He called for fast tracking of the political integration of East African states saying the region can easily form a political confederation because her people have much in common unlike other economic blocks which lack a unifying factor beyond economic integration.

“Above all, East Africa and eastern Congo speak Kiswahili. Therefore, the infrastructure for a political integration in East Africa is very strong,” said President Museveni.

The State Banquet was attended by Deputy President William Ruto, Cabinet Secretaries Monica Juma, James Macharia, Peter Munya, Najib Balala and Adan Mohammed. Also present were Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka, Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya and Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka.