Kenya needs at least Sh143 billion to set up the Lamu, Isiolo and Lake Turkana resort cities which are among the seven key infrastructure components of the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor project.
A report by the Lapsset Corridor Development Authority (LCDA) shows Lamu resort city will be the largest costing Sh114 billion followed by Isiolo city at Sh24 billion.
Lake Turkana resort city will cost about Sh5 billion.
In Lamu, the resort city will incorporate a Special Economic Zone that will host heavy, light, and medium industries.
The special economic zone area will also provide warehousing, transport logistics, shipbuilding technology, and refinery among others.
The land needed for this particular development is about 2,000 acres with a power demand of approximately 60 megawatts.
Lapsset director general Stephen Ikua said their completion will open the Northern Kenya corridor to trade, tourism and industrialisation among other benefits. Once established, the cities will also improve the delivery of public services, including security as well as trade.
“The establishment of such key cities in Northern Kenya will generally transform the region into an industrial, technical, logistics, investment as well as a tourism hub. Market access to goods and livestock produced from the region will also be eased,” said Mr Ikua.
Lapsset is Eastern Africa’s largest and most ambitious infrastructure project bringing together Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
The mega project consists of seven key projects starting with a new 32-berth port at Lamu (Kenya), Interregional Highways from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba (South Sudan), Isiolo to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and Lamu to Garsen (Kenya) and a crude oil pipeline from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba and Product Oil Pipeline from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Addis Ababa.
There will be interregional Standard Gauge Railway lines from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba, Isiolo to Addis Ababa and Nairobi to Isiolo.
