A project that cost Kenyan taxpayers Ksh2 billion is nearly clocking its second idle year thanks to a delay by the Ugandan government.
The Kisumu Oil Jetty whose construction was completed in February 2018, has been lying idle awaiting for the completion of the Uganda Jetty.
Confirming the delay, Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director Irungu Macharia noted that the jetty, which was poised to begin operations in January 2021, will have to delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The construction of the Ugandan Jetty started in 2013 and has suffered delays over the years.
“The Kisumu oil jetty has been delayed by the delay in completion of complementary facilities in Uganda. The timing of the jetty development was pegged on the construction of a jetty, vessels and receiving depot in Uganda by a private investor (Mhathi Infra).
"It was estimated that the works would be completed by November 2020 and operations would commence by January 2021. This has, however, been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic,” stated Ngugi.
Before the latest delay, the jetty failed to hit two previous targets in July and August 2019.
The Kisumu Jetty was expected to supply petroleum products to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi the eastern Congo region and parts of Tanzania.
The project had sparked development across the Kisumu Coast line with repairs on the railway lane linking Kisumu port to the jetty.
Other developments included the refurbishment of wagon vessel, MV Uhuru that even made a maiden trip to Port Bell, Kampala in September 2019.
The Ugandan Jetty project was to establish storage tanks, an oil jetty and fuel tankers and was estimated to cost Ksh27 billion.
The two projects were part of the larger Lake Victoria transport system aimed at exploiting the lake as a cheaper mode of transport.
