•After the speech, the president launched the Kenya Shipyards Limited, laid foundation for MV Uhuru 2.
•This is the first ship to be built in Kisumu after 70 years.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked politicians not to divide Kenyans and instead focus on development.
Speaking in Kisumu Shipyard on Monday alongside Burundi president Evariste Ndayishimiye, Uhuru said he was busy spearheading projects, adding that making noise will not stop his agenda.
Uhuru was referring to a section of Kenyans who raised questions after he transferred the Kenya Meat Commission to the Ministry of Defence, from the Ministry of Agriculture, through an Executive Order, about eight months ago.
“Mtapiga kelele tukifanya kazi.. Previous regimes undertook to revamp KMC but wasted resources. Kenya Defence Forces are Kenyans, let's stop the politics when we engage them in projects,” Uhuru said.
“Let us not divide Kenyans.. let us bring them together and bring development to the people. I urge our political leaders to be at the forefront in uniting Kenyans. ”
The president said there was a need to bring the KDF in management of some of the projects to allow the work to be done smoothly.
KDF was mandated with the task of restoring infrastructure and developing an ambitious business plan for the commission but the move was opposed by the Senate, saying that there was no public participation undertaken before the decision was arrived at.
“I'm proud that working with KDF, Kenya railways among others, we have been able to revamp the Kisumu port. You need to appoint the Greatest Noisemaker as a Prefect and the classroom will be Silent,” Uhuru said.
After the speech, the president launched the Kenya Shipyards Limited, laid foundation for MV Uhuru 2.
This is the first ship to be built in Kisumu after 70 years in conjunction with the Kenya navy.
The yard, which was rehabilitated by Kenya Defence Forces, is part of the Lake Transport revival plan as Kenya aims to reposition its military to be a catalyst for industrialisation.
The President then handed over tools of operations to KSL Managing Director Brig Paul Otieno namely; flag, company seal, company certificate and the certificate of incorporation.
Uhuru was then seen onboard the ship as journalists took pictures of the ship and the leaders that were present.
The revitalisation of the port, which has been dormant since early 2000, started in 2019, a year after the truce between Uhuru and ODM party leader Raila.
The aim was to open up water transport, open business opportunities and connect Kenya to the Eastern Africa counties.
Led by the Kenya Navy, the works began with clearing the notorious hyacinth and refurbishment of the wagon ferry, the MV Uhuru, which had stalled for 15 years.
“KDF was given the task, especially the Kenya Navy. The estimated cost [of refurbishing the ferry) was about Sh1 billion but we spent Sh200 million. Initially KR wanted Sh2 billion for a new ferry,” Lieutenant Colonel Sokobe, a naval officer in charge of the works, told the Star.
The MV Uhuru, which has a carrying capacity of 22 wagons, ferries about two million litres of fuel per trip. Since the completion of its refurbishment three months ago, it has ferried 50 million litres of fuel to Jinja in Uganda.
From Jinja, the commodity is ferried by road to various parts of the region, including South Sudan and DR Congo. “If you are going to carry two million litres by road, you will require too many trucks, more than 50 trucks. You look at the pollution they cause and safety issues,” Sokobe said.
It takes about 12 hours for a trip to Jinja, he said, adding that the refurbished ferry has employed 30 people, including seven artisans and 23 crew.
Currently, dredging has increased the depth of the water to allow large and heavy passenger and cargo ships to dock.