Project Showcase

The LAPSSET Railway Project forms the railway component of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor. Its approved purpose is to create a new regional rail connection from the Indian Ocean coast through northern Kenya to Ethiopia and South Sudan. The route begins at Lamu Port, runs through Garissa to Isiolo, and then divides into two international branches. One branch continues through Nginyang and Nakodok to Juba in South Sudan, while the other continues through Moyale to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The approved concept also includes a railway connection between Nairobi and Isiolo. The approved regional network is approximately 2,900 km long. The PIDA PAP II submission specifies a 1,435 mm standard gauge and electric-powered railway technology, with design speeds of up to 160 km/h for passenger trains and 120 km/h for freight trains. The planned railway is intended to carry passengers, heavy goods, oil products and other non-pipeline petroleum products, including bulk fuel oil, bitumen and liquefied petroleum gas, between Lamu Port and demand centres along the corridor. These are planned design parameters and must not be reported as completed or operational capacity. The project is regional in both geography and governance. Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan are the member states and project locations recorded in the approved PAP II submission. Uganda is also identified as a beneficiary country. IGAD is the regional economic community and the IGAD Secretariat is identified as the project institution. The project is aligned with Kenya Vision 2030 and the IGAD Regional Infrastructure Master Plan. Implementation will require coordinated technical standards, cross-border operating rules, environmental and social safeguards, land and corridor protection, institutional agreements and financing arrangements across the participating countries. The submitted project-cost baseline is USD 12.0 billion. This amount should remain the historical PAP II baseline until a later consolidated cost is supported by an approved regional study. The approved-project record identifies S2A - Pre-Feasibility as the last known milestone. The PIDA Investment Prospectus status history also records Pre-Feasibility in 2020, 2022 and 2024. These dated status entries should control the historical annual records rather than retrospectively applying the current feasibility label. The current PIDA Investment Prospectus displays the project at Feasibility, or 50 percent progress. It identifies the remaining work as completion of comprehensive feasibility studies across the project, mobilisation of technical assistance for detailed designs, establishment of a corridor-coordination mechanism, completion of environmental and social assessments, development of PPP frameworks and securing of financing commitments. Contractors and operators remain to be determined through competitive procurement after project structuring and financing. Other LAPSSET investments must not be used as evidence of railway construction. Progress on Lamu Port, highways, pipelines, airports, resort cities, the refinery, the multipurpose dam or communications systems belongs to separate components of the wider corridor.

Construction of 365 km Juba-Torit-Kapoeta-Nadapal single cariageway road in South Sudan. The road links with the proposed South Sudan/Kenya OSBP project at Nadapal.

Construction of a standard gauge railway (2900km) from Lamu Port in Kenya to Juba in South Sudan and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia i.e. LamuGarissa-Isiolo and branching into two links, the link to South Sudan (Isiolo-Nginyang-Nakodok-Juba) and link to Ethiopia (Isiolo-Moyale-Addis Ababa). Design speed: (Passenger train) 160 km per hour (Kph), (Freight train) 120 Kph, Gauge: 1,435 mm (Standard Gauge). The railway project preliminary designs are complete for the Kenyan and Ethiopian route and expected to proceed to the Detailed Engineering Design stage. The Government Kenya and the Government of Ethiopia have signed a Bilateral Agreement to jointly pursue the development of the LAPSSET Standard Gauge Railway. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between LCDA and InterGovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to facilitate the financing of this stage though an Infrastructure Project Preparatory Fund (IPPF) available through the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

Construction of a standard gauge railway (2900km) from Lamu Port in Kenya to Juba in South Sudan and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia i.e. LamuGarissa-Isiolo and branching into two links, the link to South Sudan (Isiolo-Nginyang-Nakodok-Juba) and link to Ethiopia (Isiolo-Moyale-Addis Ababa). Design speed: (Passenger train) 160 km per hour (Kph), (Freight train) 120 Kph, Gauge: 1,435 mm (Standard Gauge). The railway project preliminary designs are complete for the Kenyan and Ethiopian route and expected to proceed to the Detailed Engineering Design stage. The Government Kenya and the Government of Ethiopia have signed a Bilateral Agreement to jointly pursue the development of the LAPSSET Standard Gauge Railway. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between LCDA and InterGovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to facilitate the financing of this stage though an Infrastructure Project Preparatory Fund (IPPF) available through the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

The design for the LAPSSET higway components provide for a heavy transportation route from Lamu to South Sudan through Garissa, Isiolo, Kisima and Nginyang to meet the existing Kenya - South Sudan road at Lokichar, from where it continues to the border at Nadapal. The Lamu - Isiolo - Lokichar - Lodwar - Nadapal section measures about 1,300 km. The Northern Branch of the corridor to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia is the Isiolo- Moyale section which is also part of LAPSSET Corridor road. Construction on this section has been completed and the One Stop Border Post (OSBP) construction is currently underway. The project is divided into four sections as follows: Lamu - Garissa  Road -263km Garissa-Isiolo Road - 305km Isiolo - Nginyang Road - 212km Nginyang - Lokichar - Nadapal - 533km NB: The Government of Kenya is currently working on the re-alignment of Isiolo-Nginyang-Lokichar Section). The new aligned section takes the route: Isiolo-Lareta-Maralal-Baragoi-Lokori-Lokichar). Other sections remain the same.

The design for the LAPSSET higway components provide for a heavy transportation route from Lamu to South Sudan through Garissa, Isiolo, Kisima and Nginyang to meet the existing Kenya - South Sudan road at Lokichar, from where it continues to the border at Nadapal. The Lamu - Isiolo - Lokichar - Lodwar - Nadapal section measures about 1,300 km. The Northern Branch of the corridor to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia is the Isiolo- Moyale section which is also part of LAPSSET Corridor road. Construction on this section has been completed and the One Stop Border Post (OSBP) construction is currently underway. The project is divided into four sections as follows: Lamu - Garissa  Road -263km Garissa-Isiolo Road - 305km Isiolo - Nginyang Road - 212km Nginyang - Lokichar - Nadapal - 533km NB: The Government of Kenya is currently working on the re-alignment of Isiolo-Nginyang-Lokichar Section). The new aligned section takes the route: Isiolo-Lareta-Maralal-Baragoi-Lokori-Lokichar). Other sections remain the same.

The design for the LAPSSET higway components provide for a heavy transportation route from Lamu to South Sudan through Garissa, Isiolo, Kisima and Nginyang to meet the existing Kenya - South Sudan road at Lokichar, from where it continues to the border at Nadapal. The Lamu - Isiolo - Lokichar - Lodwar - Nadapal section measures about 1,300 km. The Northern Branch of the corridor to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia is the Isiolo- Moyale section which is also part of LAPSSET Corridor road. Construction on this section has been completed and the One Stop Border Post (OSBP) construction is currently underway. The project is divided into four sections as follows: Lamu - Garissa  Road -263km Garissa-Isiolo Road - 305km Isiolo - Nginyang Road - 212km Nginyang - Lokichar - Nadapal - 533km NB: The Government of Kenya is currently working on the re-alignment of Isiolo-Nginyang-Lokichar Section). The new aligned section takes the route: Isiolo-Lareta-Maralal-Baragoi-Lokori-Lokichar). Other sections remain the same.

The design for the LAPSSET higway components provide for a heavy transportation route from Lamu to South Sudan through Garissa, Isiolo, Kisima and Nginyang to meet the existing Kenya - South Sudan road at Lokichar, from where it continues to the border at Nadapal. The Lamu - Isiolo - Lokichar - Lodwar - Nadapal section measures about 1,300 km. The Northern Branch of the corridor to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia is the Isiolo- Moyale section which is also part of LAPSSET Corridor road. Construction on this section has been completed and the One Stop Border Post (OSBP) construction is currently underway. The project is divided into four sections as follows: Lamu - Garissa  Road -263km Garissa-Isiolo Road - 305km Isiolo - Nginyang Road - 212km Nginyang - Lokichar - Nadapal - 533km NB: The Government of Kenya is currently working on the re-alignment of Isiolo-Nginyang-Lokichar Section). The new aligned section takes the route: Isiolo-Lareta-Maralal-Baragoi-Lokori-Lokichar). Other sections remain the same.

The railway project preliminary designs are complete for the Kenyan and Ethiopian route and expected to proceed to the Detailed Engineering Design stage. The Government Kenya and the Government of Ethiopia have signed a Bilateral Agreement to jointly pursue the development of the LAPSSET Standard Gauge Railway. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between LCDA and Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to facilitate the financing of this stage though an Infrastructure Project Preparatory Fund (IPPF) available through the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

The project scope will cover construction of the first nine deep sea berths at the Lamu Port in Manda Bay to contain Crude Oil and Coal Terminals, General Cargo and Bulk Cargo Terminals.  This may involve some of all of the following activities, i.e. dredging and reclamation; construction of berths and yards; construction of revetment, causeway and road; construction of buildings and utilities; procurement of equipment and tug boats; etc.