By PSCU
President Uhuru Kenyatta has welcomed the operationalization of Kisumu Shipyard, saying the facility will create business and job opportunities for thousands of young people in the country.
The President said the facility, under the Kenya Shipyards Limited, will encourage the growth of primary and ancillary manufacturing industries.
He pointed out that the Kisumu Shipyard will also improve transport and safety in the lake, enhance intermodal transport as well as boost fishing, tourism and other economic activities in the Eastern Africa region.
“The Kenya Shipyards Limited’s role in the development of the Blue Economy is set to attract foreign direct investments and drive domestic direct investments in the long run.
“Its catalytic effect will trigger the growth of ancillary and support industries and businesses that will all have a cascading effect across the whole of the national economy,” the President said.
President Kenyatta spoke on Tuesday when he commissioned the Kisumu Shipyard in the lakeside city.
MV Uhuru II ferry
At the same time, the President witnessed the floatation of the new MV Uhuru II ferry wagon constructed by Kenyan shipbuilding experts and engineers with the support of consultants from Damen Gorinchem, a Dutch shipbuilding and engineering company.
The 100-meter vessel with a capacity of carrying up to 22 wagons and an estimated capacity of 2 million litres of crude oil per trip is the first ship to be made in Kenya by Kenyans.
With the successful construction of the MV Uhuru II ship which will be commissioned later this year at the Kisumu Shipyard, President Kenyatta expressed satisfaction that Kenya has become a pioneer shipbuilding nation in Africa.
“It is gratifying to note that during these works, young Kenyans have been empowered through the acquisition of critical skills in shipbuilding.
“Indeed, mainstreaming of the youth into the national economic agenda has been a key plank of my administration’s development plan as envisaged in the Vision 2030 and the ‘Big 4’ Agenda,” President Kenyatta said.
