Following successful rehabilitation in Dec 2019, MV Uhuru has ferried nearly 60,000 tonnes of mainly petroleum cargo between Kenya’s Kisumu Port to Port Bell in Uganda.
The Kenya Railways operated vessel has capacity for 10 round trips for the 224-Km journey in a month.
The MV Uhuru and MV Umoja were the two boats that ran between Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania for nearly six decades, until 2006, when operations at the Kisumu Port ceased.
However, the port’s rehabilitation began after President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the refurbishing of the Ksh 3 billion Kisumu Port and, with it, the repair of the MV Uhuru as part of the port’s makeover.
Its renovation cost over Ksh 30 million and was carried out by experts from the Kenya Navy and Kenya Railways.
The yacht earns almost Ksh2 million every round trip and has a monthly earning capacity of Ksh 17 million. Since it was repaired, it has made over 27 journeys.
The vessel conveys cargo, primarily petroleum, which is often transported by road transporters.
Other resurrected infrastructure projects include a part of the 217-kilometer Nakuru-Kisumu railway route, which connects Kenya Pipeline’s 45 million litre Kisumu facility to the port. The National Youth Service restored this.
