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The government has assured investors targetting Lamu Port businesses of their safety and security, days after the multi-billion project was commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The head of State unveiled the first berth of the Chinese-funded infrastructure last week.

Coast Regional Police Commander Paul Ndambuki said the government is seeking to establish more police posts along the Lamu-Garsene-Isiolo  routes and nearby towns to beef up security and boost investments in Lamu county.

The Lamu-Garsen-Garissa Isiolo routes form the latest transport corridor in the country, expected to connect Kenya to Ethiopia and South Sudan while opening up the northern region of the country.

Security hitches

“We want to ensure Lamu opens up for investments without any security hitches, our task is to ensure that investors trooping Lamu get protected and do business comfortably,” he said.

Ndambuki told Business Hub that more security patrols have been intensified along the Malindi-Garsen –Lamu highway to ensure safety of motorists and residents is heightened in the wake of emerging investment opportunities.

“We have deployed more security officers both from traffic police and intelligence, and there are plans to open new police stations along the Garsen –Lamu road to ensure maximum security,” he said during an interview in his office.

Among investors seeking to grasp the business fortunes at Hindi, Mokowe, Mkunumbi and Mpeketoni towns include manufacturers, real estate developers, transporters as well as clearing and forwarding agents.

“We would want to put up investments in Lamu, but we want to be assured of our security first, we are concerned that if security will not be intensified then investors will be scared,” said a clearing and forwarding agent who sought anonymity.

With many employees of different government agencies shifting base to Lamu, the demand for housing is rising, and this will require property developers to tap into the economic potential, this in turn creating jobs for local residents.

The newly built Sh310 billion Lamu port, a project of  Lamu South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor received its maiden cargo vessel on May 20, 2021 when operations officially kicked off at the mega port.

Lapsset is a crucial Kenya Vision 2030 flagship project and is expected to transform regional economies through increased trade, integration and inter-connectivity spanning South Sudan and landlocked Ethiopia.

Hindi market

Abubakar Mohamed, a shopkeeper at the Hindi market said business has improved after the road was tarmacked, adding that the influx of people as a result of Lamu port has boosted his business.

The activities of the port have opened up business opportunities for us, and customers have increased because of the influx of people here in the Hindi market,” Abubakar told Business Hub.