The National Treasury has granted a second approval of a feasibility report for the concession of a batch of assets at the Mombasa and Lamu ports to private investors, paving the way for the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to open bids for the deals.
The Public Private Partnership (PPP) unit of the National Treasury approved the feasibility report in August 2026.
“The feasibility study report was approved in August 2026, for the project to progress to tender,” the unit said in a disclosure.
The approved report covers the first phase of a concession programme which targets four assets at the Mombasa and Lamu ports.
A transaction advisor, Maritime & Transport Business Solutions, has fronted the concession of Mombasa port berths 11-14, Mombasa port container terminal 1, Lamu container terminal berths 1-3 and the Lamu Special Economic Zone under a PPP model.
The National Treasury in April 2026 opened a new portfolio of seven additional port-linked infrastructure facilities owned by the KPA for investment under a PPP arrangement.
The additional assets proposed for inclusion under the expanded PPP portfolio included Mombasa port container terminal II (Berths 20–22); Mombasa port container terminal (Berths 23–24); Mombasa port cargo terminal – Mbaraki Wharfs; Mombasa port cargo terminal – Berths 1–5; Mombasa port cargo terminal (Berths 7–10); Inland Container Depot (ICD) Nairobi (Embakasi); and Inland Container Depot (ICD) Naivasha.
“These assets are operationally interconnected and may share common infrastructure and interfaces, including yards, access channels, terminal support facilities, and landside logistics systems,” the Treasury said in a disclosure as it kicked off recruitment of an advisor to guide the planned PPP deal.
“Consequently, decisions taken in relation to one asset have material implications for the performance, efficiency, and bankability of the other assets within the portfolio,” it added.
The Treasury had initially listed four KPA assets for listing under the PPP model. The initial four assets included: Lamu Port Container Terminal (Berths 1-3), Mombasa Port (Berths 11-14), Mombasa Port Container Terminal I (Berths 16-19), and the Lamu Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
“Given the scale of the assets, their shared demand drivers, and the strategic objective of transitioning to a landlord port model, it is necessary that these assets are assessed and structured under the PPP framework on a portfolio basis, rather than through fragmented, asset-by-asset transactions,” the Treasury said.
KPA, in March 2026, commenced the search for an investor to run the Shimoni fish port under a landlord-model PPP arrangement. The Shimoni deal could open up the planned lease out of some operations at the Mombasa and Lamu ports.
“In 2018, a feasibility study was undertaken for Shimoni fish port, which recommended development and operations of the port under the PPP landlord model. In view of this, construction of the port commenced in October 2022 and was completed in June 2025,” KPA, which runs the port, said.
“Shimoni Port is one of the projects identified under the Kenya Vision 2030 to support the exploitation of the blue economy resources for accelerated socio-economic development.”
A landlord PPP model is a structured deal where the public sector retains ownership of land and foundational infrastructure while leasing it to a private investor who is then tasked with financing, constructing, and operating the facility.
