Uganda
Uganda - 2.1 Port Assessment
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Port Assessment

As a landlocked country, Uganda is highly dependent on access to the Indian Ocean ports of Mombasa in Kenya and Dar es Salam in Tanzania.

  • Historically, much of the imports/exports of goods to the country came up by rail to the Lake Victoria ports in Kenya (Kisumu), and Tanzania (Mwanza) and then transported across the lake on ferries to Jinja Pier and Port Bell or, directly by rail, from Mombasa to Kampala.
  • However, the decline of the two ports in Uganda and the unreliability of the existing rail network has resulted in considerable increase in road transportation.

The two ports on Lake Victoria in Uganda are Jinja Pier (non-functioning Port infrastructure) and Port Bell Jinja Pier (reasonably functioning infrastructure). Home (works.go.ug)

  • Jinja is basically a Rail Ro/Ro facility which handles merchandise to and from Kisumu in Kenya (used for fishery and research purposes).
  • Port Bell has a Ro/Ro railroad facility and receives some vessels operating between Kisumu in Kenya and Mwanza in Tanzania
  • The new port of Bukasa which is under construction will dominate transportation across Lake Victoria.[1]
 

[1] Ministry of Works, 2020, Preparation of the National Integrated Transport Master Plan 2021-2040.

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