Lamu Port and the LAPSSET corridor

What operates

The LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority says Lamu Port is planned to have 23 berths in Manda Bay. The first three berths in Phase 1 are complete, with drafts of 17.5 metres and a 500-metre turning bay ¹. The authority says the government is considering private operation of the port, with the Government of Kenya as landlord ¹. Phase 2 plans include liquid bulk and agri-bulk terminals ¹.

The Kenya Ports Authority applies its tariffs at Lamu ⁶ and posts customer notices on its website ¹⁰. In March 2026 about 3,800 cars bound for Dubai were unloaded at Lamu from the Grande Florida, as reported by Anthony Kitimo in The East African, during shipping disruption around the Strait of Hormuz ⁹.

Cargo volumes

Lamu handled 799,161 tonnes in 2025, up from 74,380 tonnes in 2024, mainly containerised cargo, as reported by Benard Sanga and Patrick Beja in The Standard ². The same report gives a container traffic figure of 55,687 for 2025 and quotes KPA Managing Director William Ruto saying more shipping lines were starting regular services to Lamu ².

Charges and incentives

The Kenya Ports Authority began applying its Tariff Book 2025 at Mombasa and Lamu on 22 December 2025, as reported by Anthony Kitimo in Business Daily ⁶. Under the new structure an imported container left beyond the free storage period pays KSh 9,000 to KSh 15,000 a day, as reported by Reginald Mosagwe for Kenyans.co.ke ⁷.

An undated Kenya News Agency report quoting KPA Managing Director William Ruto lists these promotional terms for Lamu ⁵.

• 30 free storage days for transshipment and transit cargo ⁵.
• 14 free storage days for domestic cargo ⁵.
• A 40% discount on cargo-based charges under the KPA tariff ⁵.
• A 40% discount on cargo handling charges for cargo transshipped from Lamu to Mombasa ⁵.

Roads and the wider corridor

LAPSSET was launched in March 2012 ⁴. Its plans include highways, oil pipelines, railways, airports, resort cities, the High Grand Falls dam and special economic zones ¹.

The Auditor-General's report for the year ended June 2024 said key highways were either not completed or yet to start. It named the Lamu to Ijara to Garissa to Isiolo and the Isiolo to Maralal to Lokori to Lokichar highways ⁴. The report said cargo evacuation through the intended route faced serious challenges, as reported by Eliud Kibii in The Star ⁴. The undated Kenya News Agency report gives the Lamu to Garissa to Nairobi road as 86% complete, with an untarmacked section near Bura ⁵. The Star reported that Al-Shabaab attacks in January 2023 killed road engineers and others in Bura East and near Bodhai ⁴.

Audit findings

Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu found that several government departments and private companies operate in the port without formal agreements on management or ownership. She said there was a lack of clarity on the responsibilities of the corridor's stakeholders, as reported by Maureen Kinyanjui in The Eastleigh Voice ³. The same audit found that salaries took 64% of the LAPSSET authority's revenue, against a 35% limit in public finance regulations ³.

In April 2026 the Auditor-General said delays in LAPSSET transport links had left completed port facilities underused, as reported by Kabui Mwangi for Nation Media Group ⁸. Neither press report carried a response from KPA or the LAPSSET authority ^3,8. The Star reported that the government plans to dissolve the LAPSSET authority and move its functions to ministries ⁴.