Rwanda has communicated its intentions to set up a cargo facility in Kenya in a push to boost trade between the two countries.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, on Tuesday, stated that Rwanda had earmarked the Naivasha Dry Port for the project.
The CS noted that the move by Rwanda would be beneficial to Kenya as the facility would improve the movement of goods between the two countries.
"We thank the Government of Rwanda for their interest in establishing their cargo-handling facility at the Naivasha Dry Port, which will further boost the transit of goods between the two countries," Murkomen stated after meeting the country's High Commissioner to Kenya, Martin Ngoga.
"Rwanda is a strategic partner for Kenya and the East African Community as a whole, and we shall continue strengthening and deepening our diplomatic, business, and political relations," he added.
On the other hand, the CS revealed that Kenya was also pushing for Rwanda to increase its operations at the Port of Mombasa.
He explained that the recent move to have the port operate for 24 hours was informed by the government's intention to boost trade with regional partners.
Additionally, Murkomen highlighted that the government would be engaging Rwanda on ways to remove some of the trade barriers that were hampering the Port of Mombasa from realising its full potential.
"We discussed ways of improving efficiency at the Port. I urge government agencies and other service providers to take advantage of the 24-hour service at the Port to improve service delivery.
"We further discussed ways of removing impediments to trade, such as non-tariff barriers, unnecessary roadblocks on the Northern Corridor, and the decongestion of the Malaba border," Murkomen stated.
During his tenure, former President Uhuru Kenyatta offered countries in the region land to set up facilities at the Naivasha Dry Port.
Notably, in 2019, Uhuru offered South Sudan a 10-acre parcel to set up a container depot for the efficient clearing of goods.
In March 2022, Uganda also sent representatives to visit Kenyan officials to assess the possibility of setting shop at Naivasha and the economic sense of using the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to move goods from the Port of Mombasa.
The Naivasha Port is seen as a strategic investment owing to the railway line that runs from Mombasa. Plans are underway to extend the line from Nakuru to Uganda.
