The lapsset headquarters whose constriction is complete. [Photo/ the-star.coke]
Construction of the first three berths of the Sh2.5 trillion Lamu Port Southern Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor project is 40 percent complete.Authorities confirmed that three out of the 32 berths in the LAPSSET corridor project shall be completed by July 28, 2018.Lapsset Corridor Board members led by Chairman Ambassador Francis Muthaura, director general Sylvester Kasuku and Public Works PS Prof Paul Maringa and other members of the board together with Lamu West MP Stanley Muthama toured the site at Kililana and expressed satisfaction with the progress.Addressing journalists at the site, Kasuku said the Chinese contractor was currently dredging the seabed up to 18 meters deep which will make it the largest in East Africa.He said part of the works going on also entail reclamation of land which will form the container terminal, three berths, piling, decking and the construction of the 1.5 kilometres causeway.“Dredging works is going on the seabed, it will be 18 meters deep at low tide and 21 meters deep during high tide,” said Kasuku.Kasuku said 700 meters have been dredged, adding that the other half kilometre remaining will be completed next year.Kasuku said government signed an agreement with a South African company to construct the 532-kilometre road that will link Lamu, Isiolo and South Sudan.He said the 500-kilometre Isiolo-Moyale road was already complete.The main goal of infrastructure building he said is to open up the areas and create jobs particularly in the Northern part of Kenya.“Lamu port will accommodate cargo ships which are 400 meters long and shall open up the sea-borne trade,” he said.The director general said 400 meters-long ships require 16 meters depth of water and the Lamu port shall be 18 meters deep which is more than enough.On his Part, Prof Maringa said the vision for Lamu is beginning to take shape with the current works going on smoothly.He said their aim is to set up a resort city in the county which will accommodate one million people.He said the construction sector which contributes between 10 to 20 percent of the GDP is the biggest employer.“The county is growing in form of trade between Kenya and the other countries, it will be the hub recognized for infrastructure and Industrialization like Shanghai,” he said.He said once the project is complete, agricultural produce from the hinterland shall have an alternative.He said there shall also be recreational resort cities which will open up investment opportunities and tourism.Other projects which will come in line with the Lapsset apart from roads include railway, an international airport, and crude and product oil pipeline.On his part, Lamu West MP Stanley Muthama said the project will transform the lives of Lamu residents and thanked the government for initiating it.The Lapsset corridor project was launched on March 2, 2012, in Lamu County by former President Mwai Kibaki, South Sudan President Salva Kiir and the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.