Dongo Kundu SEZ : Berth Construction Advances as Access Road Awaits Start

FTZ News: Construction on the first berth at Dongo Kundu began in October 2025. The Transport Ministry said in September 2026 that the project was 16%  complete, with a completion target of December 2028. Kenya Engineer reported on October 3 that the larger site covers roughly 3,000 acres in Likoni Sub-County, south of Mombasa’s main port.

The berth, designated DK1, is planned as a 300-metre multipurpose facility with a design depth of 15 metres intended to handle post-Panamax vessels. Kenya Ports Authority documentation lists the broader port component at approximately KSh 41.1 billion and describes seven berths and associated yards on about 1,300 acres. The marine works are largely financed by Japan. The Japan International Cooperation Agency signed a loan of up to ¥37.09 billion in February 2020. TOA Corporation holds the primary contract, listed at roughly ¥33.5 billion, and is using a jacket-type pier construction method with piles that have heavy anti-corrosion coating.

The approximately 18-kilometre Southern Bypass, which includes three major bridges, opened to traffic in August 2024 and provides an alternative to the Likoni Ferry. A separate access road intended to connect the industrial area directly to the berth has a contract but construction had not begun as of August 2026. The Standard reported that month that Kenya National Highways Authority had awarded the contract while contractual processes were still being finalized. Officials have described the planned connection as a 4.6-kilometre road and a 2.8-kilometre ramp.

Plans for the zone also include a Standard Gauge Railway line with factory sidings linking to the existing Mombasa-Nairobi corridor. Power infrastructure is at an earlier stage. The government has allocated about KSh 6.5 billion for roughly 50 to 51 kilometres of 220 kV transmission from the Mariakani area and a substation equipped with two 75 MVA transformers. Water supply is expected to draw from wells under a Japanese grant as well as additional sources at Tiwi and the Mwache dam; those arrangements remain in the planning phase.

Taifa Gas has the most advanced private facility on the site. The government said in September 2026 that its LPG project was about 85% complete. More than 90 companies have expressed interest in the zone. The Standard reported in August 2026 that Milly Glass, which is preparing a pharmaceutical glass-bottle plant, had raised the absence of an all-weather access road as a concern for its site. The government has allocated KSh 74.1 billion for key enabling infrastructure covering the port, roads, railway, electricity, and water.

Transport Principal Secretary Mohamed Daghar, speaking during a September 2026 inspection, said the berth was progressing and that the government was monitoring the work through weekly assessments and monthly reports. Kenya Ports Authority officials have stated that dredging is under way to achieve the designed depth. The Standard’s August 2026 report noted that the lack of an all-weather access road was affecting investor plans within the zone./.