The Lamu Council of Elders has urged the government to swiftly open of the new Lamu port in the LAPSSET project to employ youths and save them from drugs.
They want the commissioning of the first three berths sooner rater than later so youth can be given work.
Construction of the first three berths at the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor-LAPSSET- worth Sh.48 billion has been completed.
The Lamu Port is part of the Sh 2.5 trillion Lapsset Corridor, expected to open up the northern part of the country and contribute at least 1.5 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product .
The port is a government initiative to develop a second deep sea port along the Kenyan Coast.
Preparation of the container yards for the two berths is ongoing and will be completed at any time. Construction of the container yard for the first berth was completed last year.
The council chairman Sharif Kambaa said the strategy will not entirely end the drug problem in Lamu but it will help rescue a good number of potential and active drug users.
Elders want a certain number of vacancies set aside for Lamu youth in the Lapsset project.
Kambaa said a council delegation will meet President Uhuru Kenyatta and port officials to beg for jobs for youth.
He said joblessness is largely responsible for many youths seeking refuge in narcotics to escape stress.
Kambaa said they are counting on the port to provide adequate employment.
Drugs hotspots in Lamu include Lamu Town, Mtangawanda, Pate, Siyu, Faza, Kizingitini, Mbwajumwali, Tchundwa and Myabogi, among other areas.
“There are no jobs for our youth here. Many have fallen into drugs with many being lured first as agents and sellers with the promise of easy and fast money. But we all know, rarely will you sell something you don’t use,” Kambaa said.
The Lapsset project includes a 32-berth port, transportation hubs for rail, highway and international airports in Lamu, Isiolo and Lodwar, an oil pipeline from South Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia to Lamu Port, an oil refinery and three resort cities in Isiolo, Lamu and Turkana.
