Most of the goods in Kenya are land transported; there is almost no role for internal waterway vectors with the only exception of Kisumu Port, on Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria ferries operate from the port link the railway to Mwanza, Bukoba, Entebbe, Port Bell and Jinja. The Kenya Railways operates the inland waterway service on Lake Victoria for the movement of both freight and passengers.
The Port of Kisumu is located on the eastern corner of Lake Victoria and connects with Kendu Bay, Kuwur, Homa Bay, Mbita and Mfangano. The optimum container capacity is 200 TEUs of 40 mt per day. The berth is 15 m with a draught of 3 m maximum. Operating hours of the port (acceptance of cargo) are from 08:00 to 18:00 hrs per day.
At the water border entry point of Kisumu, customs entry into Kenya documents can be established, though it is advisable that all required documentation for customs clearance be ready, by the client or its appointed C&F agent, prior to departure of cargo from the point of origin so to avoid possible cargo clearance delays.
Kenyan Railways operates one wagon ferry between Jinja and Port Bell (Uganda), Mwanza, Musoma (Tanzania) and Kisumu for interstate movement of wagons and trucks, supplementary to rail and road traffic through Malaba.
Company Information
For more information, please see the following link: 4.4 Kenya Port and Waterways Companies Contact List
There are 5 freight ferries in operation in Lake Victoria and each can carry up to 22 wagons:
- M/V Uhuru: Operated by Kenya Railways, has a capacity of 1,200 mt and is over 40 years old
- M/V Kabalega, M/V Pamba & M/V Kaawa: Operated by Uganda Railways and are all about 20 years old
- M/V Umoja: Operated by Tanzania Railways and is about 40 years old
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Travel Time Matrix
The transit time between the Port of Kisumu in Kenya and Port Bell in Uganda is approximately 14 – 15 hours. Normally there are 3 – 4 services per week. The approximate distance between Kisumu and Port Bell is 270 km. Kisumu to Mwanza on the Tanzania side takes approximately 18 – 19 hours.
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Key Routes
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Vessel Specifications
Use of wagon ferries of about 1,200 mt capacity and passenger
vessels.
Weather and Other Constraints
Provided that wagons are weatherproof there are no weather
constraints. Navigation equipment has not been working since 2004
so operations depend on vessel's navigation aids. Problems
related to the presence of hyacinths (fast growing lake weed) in
the water obstruct lake transport.