In this quick catch-up during the Luanda Finance Summit, Railways Africa Editor Phillippa Dean speaks with Mutahi (Alex) Wariithi from the LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority for an update on the programme’s rail and port development activities
Alex outlines the team’s push to secure financing for a bankable feasibility study covering both the Kenya and Ethiopia sections of the LAPSSET Standard Gauge Railway. The study, budgeted at USD 9 million, will support full PPP structuring through 2027 with a target of reaching financial close in 2028.
He also provides the latest on the Port of Lamu, where three fully equipped berths and ship-to-shore gantry cranes are now in operation, receiving weekly vessel calls and growing volumes of transhipment and hinterland cargo. With no rail connection yet in place, freight is moving entirely by road. A recent 60,000-tonne consignment for Ethiopia required around 2,000 trucks, underscoring the costs, delays and emissions challenges along the corridor.
Alex highlights the ongoing axle-load harmonisation issues between Kenya and Ethiopia, which require cargo transfers at the border and slow down trade. These operational pressures further strengthen the case for the LAPSSET railway.
