Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has finalised the design of a passenger terminal at the Port of Kisumu, setting the stage for cruise ships to start docking at the Lake Victoria facility in the near future.

The lake port is a critical hub for Kenyan trade with the neighbouring countries of Tanzania and Uganda and by extension Rwanda and Burundi as well countries in the Great Lakes region.

The new passenger terminal will feature a public concourse with concession areas, drop-off and arrival zones, ticketing facilities and screening sections, passenger processing zones, restaurants, and retail and office units.

The terminal will have the capacity to accommodate 1,000 passengers an hour and over 500 passengers an hour at the jetty. It is also planned to offer panoramic views of the lake and has a floating roof designed to facilitate natural air circulation.

The passenger terminal is part of the Kisumu Port Resilient Infrastructure Project, a collaborative initiative with aid-for-trade organisation TradeMark Africa (TMA). The project aims to support a modal shift in the transport of cargo from roads and rail to waterways.

The project includes the construction of a cargo warehouse to complement the new passenger terminal, facilitating passenger and freight activities.

In 2023, Kisumu port handled a total throughput of 127,745 tonnes of cargo.

Other landing sites across the Lake Victoria region are also undergoing refurbishment to support this development, with construction underway since late 2023 at the Homa Bay pier.

TMA is supporting KPA in conducting pre-project activities including bathymetric and topographic surveys, which will guide the design and scope of rehabilitation works and the development of various feeder ports on Lake Victoria. According to TMA, studies suggest that a five-hour journey by road can be reduced to less than one hour through lake transport.

Along with Homa Bay, the feeder ports of Kendu Bay and Asembo Bay, and the Sena pier on Mfangano Island will be revitalised in phase one of KPA’s feeder port scheme, with design works progressing.

Phase two of the project will cover the Sio, Luanda K’Otieno and Port Victoria facilities in Busia county, and Muhuru Bay and Sori Karungu in Migori county.

Once complete, the piers will enhance trade and economic activity within the Lake Victoria region by facilitating cargo and passenger movement via ferries and water buses.

Construction of the Homabay pier in the county of Homabay is taking shape as KPA steps up efforts to rehabilitate feeder ports within Lake Victoria.