Prospects for the realisation of the Sh20 billion Shimoni port in Kwale County are high after the feasibility study was handed over to the Treasury in readiness for tendering.
The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) says it is waiting for approval from the Treasury to proceed with tendering. KPA managing director Daniel Manduku said in an interview on Tuesday that all the relevant documents concerning the port have been forwarded to the Treasury for approval before tendering.
The port, whose feasibility study was done by Maritime & Transport Business Solutions (MTBS) from the Netherlands, is among 11 small facilities countrywide that KPA wants to develop in a multi-billion shilling programme.
“The feasibility study for Shimoni is ready. We are going to look for a public-private partnership (PPP) after the Treasury approves,” said Dr. Manduku. The study was completed late last year and the latest development has elicited hope among stakeholders in the shipping industry who have said that its construction will create more opportunities for cargo efficiency.
Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mombasa chapter chair Rukia Rashid also welcomed the development. “It will open up the area and Shimoni town will grow. It will also create jobs for the youth,” she said. Her sentiments were echoed by Car Importers Association of Kenya (CIAK) chairman Peter Otieno.
The proposed Shimoni port, near the Kenyan and Tanzanian border, is among KPA’s major expansion programmes.
Source: businessdailyafrica
The MTBS project in Shimoni
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