Mombasa port adds berths and smart gates as cargo surges
Kenya Ports Authority is building new berths, including one at Dongo Kundu, to add about 300,000 containers a year, and digitising cargo handling.
Mombasa — The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is expanding the port of Mombasa as vessel traffic and container volumes rise, its chief executive, Captain William Ruto, said, according to The Standard.
What is being built
- Dongo Kundu Berth One, to serve industry in the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone
- A berth project worth about Sh19 billion, expected to add about 300,000 TEUs (twenty-foot containers) of annual capacity
- A modern terminal operating system and smart gates to improve cargo tracking, security and efficiency
- A role for Lamu port as a complementary gateway, with new shipping links through the LAPSSET corridor
- A "Green Port" programme including mangrove restoration and energy efficiency
Ruto credited the rise in cargo to sustained investment in infrastructure, modern equipment and technology that have cut ship turnaround times. Mombasa also serves Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, DR Congo and parts of Tanzania, and competition between the region's ports is growing. "Our focus remains on providing reliable, efficient and cost-effective logistics solutions," he said.
Source: The Standard, reporting by Ian Keitany, October 2026.
