President Uhuru Kenyatta took a boat ride on Saturday, September 19 during a working tour of Mombasa County with Governor Hassan Joho.
The boat took him to the new Kipevu Oil Terminal (KOT) where he was received by Infrastructure CS James Macharia.
The Ksh40 billion new KOT, which is currently under construction, is a 200,000 DWT (Deadweight tonnage ) capacity facility capable of handling imports and exports of all petroleum products.
The oil jetty has a dedicated high volume Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) channel which is expected to enhance supply of cooking gas in Kenya and the East African region.
The project is part of an elaborate Mombasa Port expansion program that includes the construction of new dry cargo berths, sites the President also visited.
From the port, the president crossed the Kilindini channel to the Kenya Navy Base in Mtongwe where the military is developing an ultra-modern slipway and shipyard.
In Mtongwe, the Head of State was taken on a tour of the new facility by the Commander of the Kenya Navy, Major General Jimson Mutai.
Earlier in the day, he inspected construction of the Ksh1.9 billion floating pedestrian bridge in Liwatoni.
The 1.2-kilometre bridge, a first of its kind in the region is 51% complete and is expected to be ready for use by the end of 2020.
Once complete, the bridge will ease pressure on the Likoni ferry crossing by taking up most of the foot traffic, leaving the ferries to serve vehicular cargo between Mombasa and the South Coast.
From the bridge, the Head of State crossed over to the adjacent Liwatoni fishing complex, a facility that the Government is upgrading into a full fishing port.
The President expressed satisfaction with the ongoing rehabilitation of the fish landing site which he said will help create jobs for the youth and boost the coastal economy.
Speaking to small-scale traders at Liwatoni, the President rallied them to take advantage of the bridge and fishing port projects to grow their businesses.
President Kenyatta tasked Governor Joho to work with national government agencies in developing modern business stalls in the area so as to enable the traders benefit from increased human traffic expected once the bridge comes into use.
On his part, Governor Joho said his administration would continue partnering with the national Government in implementing projects aimed at improving the wellbeing of Mombasa residents.
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