Kenya port authority (KPA) is currently depending on the Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) from Naivasha to Malaba in order to boost the cargo uptake from the Inland Container Depot (ICD). The biggest target of ICD has been Uganda, and they have been unwilling to use the facility, even though the distance between Kampala and Mombasa is more than 500 kilometres.
Kenya railways have also been rehabilitating the line that will be connected to the Standard Gaige Railway (SGR) at the Longonot area. In order to attract Ugandans and other neighbouring countries, the nation’s government has proceeded to extend parcels of land near the ICD as it is turning the region into an industrial and logistic hub.
Rashid Salim, the acting managing director of KPA, told the media that MGR will increase cargo haulage to the borders into the hinterland. He said, “With the Meter-Gauge railway, we expect volumes through the ICD to grow.” This line is also expected to increase agricultural exports like tea and coffee, along with serving factories in the Rift Valley, western Kenya, and the fish industry in Kisumu.
The Kisumu port link is also expected to support the revival of Lake Victoria water transport, which, in turn, will connect Kenya ports of Uganda and Tanzania, thereby giving a major boost to the economy by increasing regional trade.
Uganda remains the biggest target for transit cargo through the Port of Mombasa and the Naivasha dry port. South Sudan takes up 9.9 percent while DR Congo and Rwanda account for 7.2 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.