The World Bank has assured the country of its commitment to spearheading enhancement of transport across Lake Victoria by developing lake waterways.
World Bank Infrastructure Development Vice President Mukhtar Diop on Thursday said that the same will realize the nation's ambition to make the Kisumu Port fully functional.
Speaking in Nairobi, he noted that the Bank will also fund the construction of the Ring Road in Kisumu and set up a school for maritime activities with the aim of promoting lake transport.
He stated that the refurbished port is a very promising project, likening it to the Kisumu Airport, whose upgrading was also funded by the World Bank.
“When we worked on upgrading Kisumu Airport to its current status, feasibility studies showed it would handle only 200,000 passengers. Kisumu International Airport handles 800,000 passengers and the numbers are rising,” he said.
Diop spoke during a meeting with African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga at Raila's Capitol Hill office in Nairobi.
On his side, Raila called upon the institution to help fast track the development of ports around the lake.
“With the port, tourists will fly to Kisumu and take a ship to Musoma then travel to Mwanza and Serengeti and continue to Bukoba, Kampala, Jinja then back to Nairobi,” he said.
The port, which was refurbished at a cost of Sh3 billion, was expected to be launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in August, which flopped.