By Standard Reporter

Lamu,Kenya: The Kenya Government has finally received the digital map that will provide a basis for the commencement of projects in Lamu area, including the Lamu port.

The map was presented yesterday at the Safari Park Hotel in a ceremony attended by Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Housing and Urban Development Charity Ngilu and Korean Ambassador to Kenya, Kim Chan Woo.

The map was put together in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands.

Ambassador Kim Chan Woo pointed out that the map is vital in civil engineering planning as well as  building works.

Accurate Map

He added that the map  would also provide a foundation for the development of the Lamu environs as well.

“Producing a map is hard work compared to other construction projects.  However, all development must begin with an accurate map,” said the project manager Mr Eoh.

Many economists have pointed out that congestion at Mombasa port is to blame for the high cost of business, with  some port users opting for alternatives routes to ship their goods.

It is due to this that the Government hatched the plan to a construct a second port in Lamu as a mid-term strategy to cope with the dilemma.

The port is expected to make Lamu the gateway to Northern Kenya, East Africa, Ethiopia and Southern Sudan, while serving as a hub for road, rail and air transport to these areas.

Currently, Lamu is mapped to a scale of 1:50,000, but this measurements cannot be used for construction of the massive facility.

In 2010, the Government requested the Republic of Korea, through the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA), to generate a digital map that would be the foundation for planning the construction of the Lamu port.

The project dubbed ‘Production of Large Scale Topographical Data Framework for Lamu Area’, was prioritized by the Kenyan Government under the Medium Term Plan (2007 – 2012) of the Vision 2030, and its budget was US$2.8 million.

KOICA has provided the Kenyan Government with bilateral grant aid in the areas of water development, education and health.

It also funded the  generation of the map. The project covers an area covering about 500 square kilometres of Lamu Island and its environs.