Fafi Member of Parliament Salah Yakub has expressed optimism about the transformative impact of the LAPSSET project once it is completed. Despite previous setbacks due to al-Shabaab attacks targeting workers and equipment, Yakub noted that the project has fully resumed and is progressing well.
His constituency, among others, has suffered from insecurity, resulting in the deaths of innocent people, including officials working on the LAPSSET project. Since January 2021, there have been at least five al-Shabaab attacks on the LAPSSET corridor, claiming 16 lives and severely injuring over 40 others.
The attacks have also caused destruction of property and construction equipment, including trucks, excavators, bulldozers, tippers, and rollers, with damages estimated at over Sh200 million. These incidents typically involved Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), rocket-propelled grenades, gun attacks, and landmines.
However, Yakub highlighted that there have been no reported incidents for almost a year. Speaking in Omar village during a development tour of the villages along the LAPSSET road, Yakub lamented the significant funds being allocated for security measures but remained hopeful about the project’s positive impact on the region.
“It is extremely regrettable that the government is spending a lot of money to support the security aspect of this project. The money that should have catered for sand and cement for this road is now being used for security-related issues,” he said.
He however exuded confidence that that the project will be completed in time commending the KDF for supporting the contractor and ensuring that the project goes on smoothly with no interruptions.
“Ours is to thank the government and making sure that this project takes its course and it is going to be completed in the shortest time possible so that the lives of our people are completely transformed for the better,” he said.
He added: “Speaking for my constituency as a result of this project a number of new settlements are coming up. Looking at the bigger picture businesses will thrive and our towns will experience tremendous growth.”
Speaking in Garissa recently, LAPSSET Director General Stephen Ikua highlighted the significant economic benefits of the LAPSSET Lamu Special Economic Zone, one of the key components of the LAPSSET Corridor Project. Once completed, this zone will provide both skilled and unskilled employment opportunities, thereby boosting the country’s economic prosperity.
Ikua emphasized that the LAPSSET project aims to efficiently connect the Lamu port with Ethiopia and South Sudan, noting that the current routes to these countries are longer than the proposed LAPSSET routes. The project intends to reduce the distance and travel time between the port and these countries, making cargo transportation more economically viable.
“The general objective of the LAPSSET project is to spur Kenya’s economic vision of a sustainable industrial economy that strengthens economic development and integration across East Africa and provides local economic opportunities,” he said.
He further added, “The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is not only a source of Direct Foreign Investments (FDI) but also creates employment opportunities and facilitates the transfer of managerial and technological skills, all of which contribute to the country’s economic development.”
