The National Government Coordination Secretariat (NGCS) has launched its Coast Region Field Verification Visits to assess the progress of various government-sponsored projects and ensure that the projects are being implemented effectively and in line with the government’s development agenda.
Led by the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary (PCS), Joseph Buseiga, the Secretariat was accompanied by the Coast Regional Commissioner (RC), Rhoda Onyancha, and both the County and regional development committees during the tour of the Mombasa projects.
The team toured the Port of Mombasa to assess the progress of Container Terminal II, which was set to increase capacity from 1.65 million TEUs to 2.1 million by 2022. It is complete and fully operational.
The General Manager of Infrastructure Development at Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Mathews Amuti, said that the Kipevu Oil Terminal II, an offshore island facility relocated next to the Kenya Navy, has 4 berths completed and 3 berths fitted with equipment for handling large petroleum tanker vessels of up to 120,000,000 million liters. The project was commissioned in 2022.
“The Cruise Ship Terminal has also been modernised to the current facilities at berths 1 and 2 to accommodate the envisaged growth in the tourism sector. The terminal is in use,” said Amuti.
Speaking at the Mombasa Port, the Chief of Staff of the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Joseph Busiega, expressed how important the ground evaluations are, noting that they seek to address challenges or delays, promote accountability, transparency, and the efficient use of public resources in national development.
They later visited the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to assess LPG firm Taifa Gas, which is still in the establishment stages and will be complete by September next year. The secretariat followed up on the full compensation to the project-affected persons, and the land is now available for investment opportunities. Together with the SEZ, also evaluated was Dongo Kundu Southern Bypass.
Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Coast Regional Director, Jared Makori, said that the project’s purpose is to give a bypass for traffic from the Port, the SGR, and the South Coast without entering Mombasa Island. The road goes to the Port and has exits that go through Portreitz towards the Airport and Mombasa.
“With three bridges and two interchanges, the Mwache Bridge is 600 meters, the Sunza Viaduct bridge on the Peninsula is 690 meters, and the longest bridge, Mteza, is 1.4 kilometres,” said Makori.
Although 97 per cent completed, the road has been opened to the Public.
The Liwatoni Kenya Fishing Corporation project was also assessed. The project, about 45 per cent complete and costing Sh638 million, was done in two phases. The first phase is operational, and the second is at the approval stage. Started operating in 2018, and the tuna fish hub began in 2022.
The secretariat encouraged all stakeholders to fully operationalise and speed up the tendering process.
“This is a very big project that needs to be up and running, especially since you are almost done; otherwise, the machinery will be worn out before you even start operating,” Busiega emphasised.
In 2018, the Kenya Coast National Polytechnic (KCNP) was competitively selected by the GOK and the World Bank to be a Regional Flagship Marine Transport and Port Logistics Centre under the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration. The project was launched in 2022.
The Chief Principal at the KCNP, Mary Muthoka, said that the Marine School Project will be complete by early January next year. She added that they need more administration offices and a security wall to surround the school.
She was urged by one of the committee members to do stakeholder mapping and get additional partners for robust resource mobilisation.
The Secretariat is yet to visit more government-sponsored projects in Kilifi, Taita, and Kwale throughout the week.
By Fatma Said
