Construction of the Muhuru Bay pier in Migori County has reached an advanced stage, raising hopes among fishermen and traders in the Lake Victoria border town that years of neglect are about to end.

The project, launched by President William Ruto in May 2025 and managed by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), is in Nyatike Constituency, close to the Tanzanian border. Contractors are currently carrying out revetment works, including a steel retaining barrier in the lake and compacted rock fill to stabilise the pier approach and shield the shoreline from waves.

What is being built

According to updates shared by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, the facility will include:

  • A 50 by 30 metre reinforced concrete jetty able to handle larger vessels
  • Cold storage rooms to preserve fish
  • An administration block for port and customs operations
  • Perimeter security infrastructure

Officials say the port will reduce post-harvest losses, improve market access for fishermen and strengthen lake transport links with Homa Bay, Sori and Kisumu. It is designed to work alongside the ongoing upgrade of the Masara-Muhuru Bay road.

Omollo said the State Department for Internal Security would help secure the facility and lake routes, noting that maritime security would be essential to the long-term success of the pier. The government has not disclosed the total cost or a completion date.

Residents upbeat

Residents interviewed by Citizen Digital said the pier could revive a town that has long felt forgotten despite its strategic position on the lake.

"The pier once completed will create job opportunities for people in this area; both casual and permanent," said Daniel Odendo, a fisherman at Nyang'wina beach, where catches have been falling.

Muhuru resident Ochieng Peter Otieno said the facility would "connect our town with the rest of the world", linking Kenya with neighbours such as Tanzania, while businessman Moses Osiaga predicted that hotels, warehouses, restaurants and garages would follow.

Daniel Maebo Msethi, who chairs the Muhuru boda boda association, said the town had been left behind in the past and welcomed the attention it was now getting.

Part of a wider lake push

The Muhuru Bay works are part of a wider government programme to rebuild piers around Lake Victoria, including at Kendu Bay, Usenge and Homa Bay, as the State seeks to boost the blue economy and water transport in the region.

For fishing communities in Nyatike, the test will be whether the cold rooms and better transport translate into higher earnings at the beach, and whether the facility is completed and put to use without the delays that have dogged previous lake projects.

Photos: Business Today; Citizen Digital (Muhuru Bay pier construction). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.