Kisumu City will host a major conference ahead of the Kisumu Port launch seat for later in the week, probably this Friday.
While conflicting reports have been given on an actual day President Uhuru Kenyatta will be launching the Sh3 billion refurbished port, it has been confirmed that it will be preceded by the blue economy conference set for Friday.
According to Infrastructure Principal Secretary Paul Mariga, who toured the port alongside three other PSs on Tuesday, the conference will be used to provide a roadmap of the operationalization of the port.
He added that the fact that himself and his colleagues; John Omenge (Mining), Gordon Kihalangwa (Public Works) and Joseph Njoroge (Energy) toured the port is proof that the state is committed to making the port operational soon.
“This high power delegation here is to demonstrate the value of Kisumu Port and the investment the government is putting here, as well as the concerted efforts of the accelerated works here in the past several months to ensure the port is operational,” he said.
Today, the delegation is expected to conduct a dry run at the port ahead of Uhuru's visit, though some officials say that he will be launching the port towards the end of the month.
The port was initially scheduled to be launched in August, in a function that was to be attended by regional heads of state.
The port is expected to play a major transportation role linking the East African nations, especially those sharing Lake Victoria.