Kenya to begin exports of livestock products from Chinese-built port in 2023

NAIROBI, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will begin to export livestock products from the Chinese-built Lamu Port in 2023, a government official said Wednesday.

Harry Kimtai, the principal secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Cooperatives, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the government has allocated 500 million shillings (4.27 million U.S. dollars) for the construction of an efficient transport corridor for livestock at the port.

"We want to establish facilities at the Lamu port that will support the docking of ocean vessels to allow the loading of livestock using the right procedures that take into consideration the issue of animal welfare," Kimtai said.

Lamu Port, which is being built by China Communications Construction Company, can handle vessels with a capacity ranging from 12,000 to 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Kenya commissioned the first berth of the Lamu port in May 2021, which is part of the Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor.

Kimtai disclosed that the government is also establishing a holding ground next to the port that will be used as a quarantine facility to certify animals for export. He observed that the Lamu port is located close to major livestock breeding areas making it ideal for the international livestock trade.

"The facility is also ideal for exportation of livestock due to its deep harbor and wide channels that allow for easy navigation of shipping vessels," he said.

According to Kimtai, Kenya has signed various sanitary protocols with Middle East countries to facilitate the export of livestock products.