The Kenyan firm constructing the Sh1.7 billion oil jetty in Kisumu will hand it over to the Kenya Pipeline Company next Tuesday.
KPC Managing Director Joe Sang’ told Star that the contractor, Southern Engineering Company, has completed construction.
“The Kisumu Oil Jetty is complete so the contractor will hand over on
February 28,” he said in an interview on Friday.
The construction was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in July last year to ease reliability and ensure efficiency in the delivery of petroleum products.
The jetty is expected to re-position KPC and enable the agency regain the market share it lost to neighbours Tanzania, mainly due to the unavailability of petroleum products in Western region.
The facility will also boost transportation of petroleum products to Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo through Lake Victoria.
The jetty will also minimise storage space constraints on Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline. It is expected that the pipeline with a
the 14-inch diameter will
be completed by March 31.
Sang’ termed the project a milestone in KPC’s strategic plan to expand and improve safety, efficiency and reliability in the delivery of petroleum products to customers.
The MD
said the jetty is expected to boost volumes in Kisumu by a billion litres a year in phase 1 and up to three billion litres per year by 2028.
“The jetty will go a long way in boosting fuel exports to East Africa through Uganda and Tanzania."
With such volumes, the project has the potential to turn Kisumu into
a focal point of oil and gas commerce in the region and one of the busiest inland ports in Africa.
Sang’ announced that the installation of additional loading facilities to cope with the rising demand for petroleum products at KPC’s Eldoret depot, was complete.
He added:
“Since the new truck loading facility became operational in July last year, the evacuation of products in Eldoret has increased from four million litres to 6.5 million litres per day.
This has increased service delivery efficiency in the depot while maximising the full benefits of the Nairobi-Eldoret pipelines."
With the intervention, there will be no need for truck drivers to go all the way to Nairobi for fuel, a factor that contributes to higher pump prices.
On Wednesday, new Petroleum and Mining Cabinet Secretary John Munyes toured KPC’s headquarters in Nairobi and urged the agency to go the extra mile by completing key projects on time.
“Kenya and the region depend on KPC for fuel reliability and availability. That is why your projects are very instrumental to the country’s economic and social prosperity. You have a huge responsibility in ensuring that fuel gets to our people in time for them to take part in nation building."
KPC is undertaking a number of essential petroleum infrastructure projects to enhance the availability of fuel in Kenya and neighbouring countries.
Some of the ambitious projects include replacement of pipelines, enhancement of storage capacity and investment in loading facilities.
During the tour, chairman John Ngumi noted the state corporation is the nation’s economic lifeline.
“We are cognizant of the projects’ strategic value and the scale of impact they are going to generate. That is why as a board, we will continue offering guidance and overall leadership to ensure the projects are completed in the next few months."