Death of railway transport and negligence killing Kisumu port

Kisumu port, once a vibrant cargo handling facility for the country and region, is a pale shadow of its former self due to the death of railway transport and neglect of vessels.

The facility, which ought to be the gateway to East Africa Community member states, is now in a sorry state and only receives about three vessels per week.

Its capacity is about 1,000 tonnes of cargo per day but the port handles a mere 300 tonnes, according to port manager Mwalimu Disi.

Mr Disi told the Business Daily on Tuesday that Kenya Railways stopped operations on the Kisumu route in 2012, heavily affecting operations at the port.

For the past four years the facility has been operating under capacity, a situation that has been compounded by lack of modern equipment.

“The business at the port was competitive because of the railway line. The cost of doing business is too high at the moment, same as using the road which most businesses now prefer,” he said. “The handling and storage capacity of the port is also a challenge,” said Mr Disi.

Mr Israel Agina, the chairman of the business community in Kisumu, said the port lost business because most hauliers prefer the Nakuru-Eldoret-Malaba highway owing to the dilapidated railway.

“We are losing millions of shillings in revenue. The situation is no longer the same as it was six years ago when we had an active train transport system,” Mr Agina said.

The port, rated by shippers as the best in East Africa owing to its strategic location, experiences little activity.

One of the largest ships, MV Uhuru, that transported cargo between Kisumu, Mwanza, Port Bell and Jinja has not operated since 2006 yet is in good condition.

The 1,800-tonne ship is parked at the dry dock of the port. “Initially, the use of the port was competitive because of the railway line. It was cheaper to transport cargo from Mombasa through Kisumu to northern Tanzania, Mr Disi said.

The port’s cargo handling facilities, built by British colonialists, are now rusty, have been run down and are being vandalised. Heavy siltation has also impacted negatively on the port.

The management is now banking on the standard gauge railway to improve the status of the port and bring it back to full operation.

“Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda cannot do without Kisumu port. The port will actualise its full potential when the railway line is refurbished. A cheaper means of transport from Mombasa port to Kisumu will make this port very competitive,” said Mr Disi.