Kenya Moves to Keep Uganda’s Cargo Anchored to Mombasa as Regional Port Rivalry Intensifies

KAMPALA — Kenya is moving to reinforce Mombasa’s position as Uganda’s preferred maritime gateway as competition intensifies among East Africa’s ports for access to Uganda’s growing cargo market.

Uganda currently accounts for about 71% of all cargo handled by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), making the country the authority’s largest and most strategically important transit market.

The significance of Uganda’s market is expected to grow further as the country expands agricultural production, mineral extraction and manufacturing, creating rising demand for efficient regional logistics and maritime trade routes.

Kenya’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Ambassador Ababu Namwamba, said Nairobi is keen to ensure that the ports of Mombasa and Lamu remain competitive and continue serving Uganda’s expanding economy.

Namwamba made the remarks after hosting the Board and Management of KPA at the Kenya High Commission in Kampala for discussions on strengthening the logistics and trade links between the two countries.

The high-level KPA delegation was led by Acting Chairman of the Board Ahmed Muktar and General Manager for Corporate Services Edward M. Kamau.

The delegation briefed the High Commissioner on measures being undertaken by KPA to improve efficiency and strengthen the competitiveness of Kenya’s ports amid growing competition from rival ports across the region.

According to Namwamba, the discussions covered a broad range of infrastructure and logistics investments intended to make the Northern Corridor more efficient and attractive to Ugandan importers and exporters.

Kenya’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Ambassador Ababu Namwamba (C) with the team from Kenya Ports Authority

Among the measures discussed were continued digitisation and operational improvements at the Port of Mombasa, completion of the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone, investments in the Kipevu Oil Terminal, and plans linked to the envisaged Lamu refinery.

The talks also examined the role of inland container depots, the development of one-stop border posts at Busia and Malaba, expansion of Lake Victoria waterways through Kisumu and Port Victoria, and the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway through Kisumu and Malaba towards Uganda.

Road infrastructure was also highlighted, including the planned dualling of the 175-kilometre Rironi–Nakuru–Mau Summit Highway, a key section of the Northern Corridor connecting the Kenyan coast to Uganda and the wider Great Lakes region.

Namwamba said strengthening these transport links is central to Kenya’s strategy of ensuring that the Northern Corridor remains Uganda’s logistics gateway of choice.

The competition has acquired greater strategic importance as ports across the region seek to capture a larger share of Uganda-bound cargo, with efficiency, transport costs, border clearance and hinterland connectivity increasingly determining the routes chosen by traders.

For Kenya, retaining Uganda’s cargo is therefore not simply a port-management issue but a broader economic and geopolitical priority.

The High Commissioner said the Kenya High Commission in Kampala would continue serving as a key interlocutor in facilitating the movement of people, goods and services between the two countries.

“Uganda is Kenya’s most important bilateral partner in multiple areas, including trade and regional peace and security cooperation,” Namwamba said, stressing that Kenya does not take the relationship for granted.

The contest for Uganda’s cargo reflects a wider transformation of East Africa’s logistics landscape, where improvements in ports, railways, highways, border infrastructure and inland waterways are increasingly shaping regional trade routes.

For Uganda, the growing competition provides an opportunity to demand greater efficiency, lower logistics costs and better connectivity from competing regional gateways.

For Kenya, however, the message from Kampala is clear: Mombasa’s dominance of Uganda’s trade cannot simply be assumed—it must be continuously earned through investment, efficiency and reliable regional connectivity.