A new inland container depot in Naivasha for South Sudan could change the way goods move into the landlocked country and give fresh momentum to more than four decades of bilateral ties with Kenya.
Officials from the two countries were in Naivasha on Thursday for the ground breaking of the facility, which will handle cargo destined for South Sudan after it arrives at the Port of Mombasa.
Under the plan, containers will be transported by rail from Mombasa to Naivasha, where they will be cleared before continuing their journey by road into South Sudan.
The project is part of wider effort to turn Naivasha into a regional logistics hub and strengthen the Northern Corridor, a major trade route linking the Port of Mombasa with several landlocked countries in East and Central Africa.
South Sudan is the first of five countries allocated land by Kenya in 2022 to begin developing a facility in the Naivasha logistics and special economic zone. Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi were also given sites.
The South Sudanese facility will be located about a kilometre from the main Naivasha dry port, placing the country at the centre of Kenya’s plans to expand cargo handling beyond the coast.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku says investment in transport infrastructure is key to opening new opportunities for trade across East Africa.
For South Sudan, the project could also reduce some of the logistical challenges faced by businesses importing goods through Mombasa.
Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority Executive Director John Deng said a feasibility study of the inland container depot in Naivasha, shows that cargo volumes at the Port of Mombasa could increase by about five million metric tonnes annually, making the expansion of logistics facilities into Naivasha increasingly important.
South Sudan’s Ambassador to Kenya, Simon Juach Deng said the depot would provide a new platform to strengthen relations between the two countries.
But South Sudan is looking beyond the depot. South Sudan’s Transport Ministry Undersecretary Paul Dhel Gum is calling on Kenya to consider their request for facilities at the Port of Mombasa, saying this could help the country expand investment in the blue economy.