Naivasha leaders back Uhuru's land offer to Museveni

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta (State House: Standard)

NAIVASHA, KENYA: Leaders in Naivasha have welcomed the move by Kenya to allocate land to Uganda for the dry port.

The leaders said the move would spur growth in the town while creating employment to thousands of Kenyans who will be working at the port.

During President Yoweri Museveni’s visit in the country, Kenya agreed to offer Uganda land to build a dry port for its cargo in Naivasha as part of the joint Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project push between the two countries.

The dry port will also see Uganda play a more crucial role for the hinterland countries, including Rwanda and DRC.

Addressing the press in Naivasha, local MP Jayne Kihara praised the move terming it as the best for the region and the lakeside town.

She said Kenya stood to gain from the immense trade ties between the two countries with goods from other countries being cleared in time thereby saving time and costs.

“This will be an opportunity for our youths to get jobs, therefore, becoming a big boost towards fulfilling the Jubilee agenda on employment to the young people,” she said.

She said Naivasha will soon be a hub of industries noting that already a technical committee had been set up to fast track the establishment of an industrial park.

Kihara said the committee involving senior National and county government officials will spearhead the mapping and creation of the site where industries will be set up.

Her sentiments were echoed by Naivasha professional Association chairperson Eskimos Kobia who said that Nakuru County stood to gain from the dry port and industrial park.

Kobia at the same time called on the government to explain where the dry port for Kenya will be built saying it was bringing confusion among residents.