The development of Lamu Port is a welcome boost to the marine infrastructure, with great potential benefits to this country and the East and Central African region. It is, indeed, emerging as an alternative gateway amid insecurity and Red Sea interruptions.
Lamu Port’s construction under the LAPSSET Corridor Project represents a massive shift for regional logistics. As a secure deep-water alternative to Mombasa Port, it is increasingly becoming a major regional gateway and an economic asset. It offers a safer entry point that bypasses the high-risk zones plagued by geopolitical tensions and piracy. Lamu is enjoying a sharp increase in vessel calls and cargo activity.
It links Kenya with South Sudan and Ethiopia, with a depth of up to 18 metres (deep-water) against Mombasa’s13.5 metres that requires dredging. Shipping routes are shifting as the coastal city faces growing congestion, with its global ranking slipping to position 396.
Lamu is growing as an alternative gateway for regional cargo after disruptions to international shipping routes triggered by conflicts and insecurity in the Middle East. It has overtaken Mombasa in efficiency in the latest World Bank Container Port Performance Index for the East and Horn of Africa region, coming sixth, while Mombasa was in the ninth position.
Lamu was ranked 345th out of 400 container ports. Mombasa dropped to 396 from 375 in the previous ranking.
The primary markets crying out for the development of this port are northern Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia, central and western Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While the potential is vast, unlocking Lamu’s full potential will require completing the supporting infrastructure. The port needs to be connected via fully paved highways and the standard gauge railway (SGR) link to the neighbouring countries. This is essential to turn it from a maritime landing spot into a fully functional cargo pathway.
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