For years, the Port of Lamu was spoken of in the future tense—a glittering US$2.5 billion bet on Kenya’s northern coastline that seemed perpetually trapped in master plans, policy papers, and ceremonial presidential groundbreakings. Between its commissioning in May 2021 and the end of 2024, the facility received fewer than 200 vessel calls, with some years recording only a handful of ships. Critics were quick to dismiss it as a costly “white elephant”—a monument to ambition without the commercial traffic to justify the investment.
Today, that narrative has been decisively overturned.
The Port of Lamu is undergoing a remarkable transformation. In 2026 alone, it has already logged more than 120 vessel calls, while cargo throughput has surpassed 1.69 million metric tonnes. The growth trajectory defies expectations: volumes surged from just 74,380 metric tonnes in 2024 to 799,161 metric tonnes in 2025—an astonishing 974 percent increase. This year, throughput has more than doubled again.
Perhaps the most powerful symbol of Lamu’s emergence was the arrival of the MV Baltimore Express, the 369-metre Hapag-Lloyd container vessel—the largest ship ever to berth in East and Central Africa. That single call sent an unmistakable signal to the global shipping industry: Lamu has arrived.
This is neither accident nor fleeting luck. It is the product of strategic planning, operational improvements, growing market confidence, and shifting geopolitical realities. As stakeholders from the Kenya Ships Agents Association (KSAA), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), and international shipping lines concluded during their recent engagement in Lamu, the port stands at a defining crossroads.
The question is no longer whether Lamu can succeed.
The question is whether Kenya is prepared to unlock its full potential.
A Natural Advantage Finally Comes into Its Own
Lamu’s greatest asset has always been its geography. With a natural harbor depth of 17.5 metres, the port can comfortably accommodate Post-Panamax and Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) without the costly, continuous dredging required elsewhere. While Mombasa remains Kenya’s principal gateway, its turning basin and physical limitations restrict the size of vessels it can safely handle.
Lamu was built for the future. Its deep-water berths and expansive turning basin can receive some of the world’s largest container ships—vessels like the Nagoya Express and Baltimore Express that exceed the operational limits of most regional ports.
As Lamu Port General Manager Captain Abdulaziz Mzee aptly put it: “Lamu was not built as an afterthought. It was built for vessels like these.”
That long-term vision is finally bearing fruit. Major global shipping lines—including Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, Maersk, and MSC—are steadily expanding their presence at Lamu. The port is increasingly positioning itself as a regional transshipment hub serving Zanzibar, the Indian Ocean islands, Mozambique, Madagascar, and other emerging Western Indian Ocean markets.
With Phase II adding three more berths—bringing the total to six—Lamu’s handling capacity is growing in step with rising demand.
Geopolitics Has Accelerated the Opportunity
Lamu’s recent success cannot be divorced from global maritime turbulence. The instability gripping shipping through the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted traditional routes, forcing lines to rethink their logistics. Those disruptions have inadvertently boosted traffic to African ports, and Lamu has emerged as an unexpected beneficiary.
Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs)—vessels that had never previously called at Lamu—are now regular visitors, discharging thousands of vehicles diverted from Middle Eastern hubs like Jebel Ali.
In many ways, geopolitics has given Lamu the international exposure that years of investment promotion alone could never have bought.
Yet this opportunity carries a sobering lesson: what geopolitics gives, geopolitics can take away. Once regional conflicts ease and traditional shipping corridors reopen, cargo owners will revert to prioritising efficiency, cost, and connectivity. Ports that fail to offer seamless inland logistics risk losing whatever temporary advantage they now enjoy.
The Missing Link That Will Define Lamu’s Future
Here lies Kenya’s greatest challenge.
At the recent stakeholder forum, KSAA Chief Executive Officer Elijah Mbaru correctly identified the single most critical priority: accelerating investment in road and rail infrastructure connecting Lamu to Kenya’s interior, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
The Port of Lamu was never designed to function as an isolated maritime facility. It was conceived as the maritime gateway of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor—a transformative regional programme spanning more than 3,000 kilometres of highways, railways, pipelines, and logistics infrastructure.
Yet much of that vision remains incomplete. Several strategic highways are unfinished; others have yet to break ground. The proposed Standard Gauge Railway linking Lamu to Isiolo—estimated at roughly US$3.49 billion—remains largely mired in feasibility studies and planning stages.
History teaches us that building ports is often easier than building the transport corridors that make them commercially viable. Lamu may boast world-class berths and state-of-the-art marine infrastructure, but efficient cargo evacuation remains its Achilles’ heel. Without reliable highways and rail links, even the most sophisticated port risks becoming an island of excellence—disconnected from its hinterland.
A National Asset, Not a Rival to Mombasa
The commitment by KPA, KSAA, and industry stakeholders to jointly market Lamu is commendable. But marketing alone will not guarantee long-term success.
Kenya must abandon any lingering perception that Lamu and Mombasa are competitors. They are, and should be, complementary pillars of a single national maritime strategy. Mombasa should continue as the country’s primary gateway for domestic and regional cargo, while Lamu develops into East Africa’s premier deep-water transshipment hub—capable of handling the world’s largest vessels.
This functional specialisation would strengthen, not weaken, Kenya’s overall competitiveness.
The economic stakes extend far beyond our borders. A fully operational LAPSSET Corridor would diversify regional trade routes, reduce dependence on a single maritime gateway, stimulate growth across northern Kenya, and anchor the country as Eastern Africa’s dominant logistics hub. For Ethiopia, it offers a vital additional maritime outlet. For South Sudan, it provides a critical export corridor for oil and other commodities.
These are not merely infrastructure projects. They are instruments of regional economic integration.
The Time for Implementation Is Now
President William Ruto’s agreement with Ethiopia to utilise Lamu Port for imports reflects growing regional confidence in its strategic importance. International shipping lines are increasing their presence. Chinese port operators have expressed interest in cooperation, automation, and digital transformation. The Kenya Ports Authority continues to invest in modern cargo-handling equipment, automated cranes, and operational efficiency.
These are important foundations—but none will realise their full economic value without corresponding investment in the transport infrastructure that connects ships to markets. Ports do not create prosperity on their own. Integrated logistics systems do.
The Verdict
The Port of Lamu has silenced its critics. It has proven it can attract the world’s largest vessels, handle millions of tonnes of cargo, and compete with the continent’s most modern maritime gateways.
But its long-term success will not ultimately be determined at the quayside. It will be determined along the highways and railway corridors stretching westwards into northern Kenya, and onwards to Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Without those strategic connections, today’s remarkable resurgence could fade into little more than a temporary spike—driven by extraordinary global circumstances that are beyond our control. With them, however, Lamu has every chance to become one of Africa’s defining maritime success stories.
The stakeholders who gathered in Lamu this week recognised the opportunity. Now Kenya’s policymakers must demonstrate the urgency.
The port is ready. The ships are arriving. The only remaining question is whether the hinterland will be ready to receive them.