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Kenya’s Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor represents one of the continent’s most ambitious efforts to link infrastructure, trade, and regional growth. The corridor stretches from the Indian Ocean at Lamu to the borderlands of Turkana, cutting across nine counties that together account for nearly seventy percent of Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands. These drylands are home to more than ten million people, most of whom depend on livestock and small-scale agriculture for their livelihoods.
Although often discussed in terms of roads, ports, and pipelines, LAPSSET’s potential extends far beyond transport and logistics. If well designed, it could reshape Kenya’s agricultural landscape, connect remote producers to markets, and drive investment into value chains that have long been constrained by isolation and high costs.
A New Geography for Agriculture
The corridor traverses some of Kenya’s most underdeveloped but resource-rich regions. Improved connectivity has already begun to shift economic patterns. Feasibility studies suggest that transport costs in northern Kenya could fall by up to forty percent once the main highways and rail links are completed. This alone could make commercial agriculture viable in areas that were once considered too remote to sustain consistent trade.
One of the most significant enablers will be water. The planned High Grand Falls Dam on the Tana River, with a storage capacity of 5.6 billion cubic meters, is set to irrigate over four hundred thousand acres of farmland and generate up to one thousand megawatts of power. For the first time, reliable irrigation could support large-scale horticulture, grain, and oilseed production across parts of Kitui, Garissa, and Tana River counties, integrating local farmers into regional and export markets.
At the same time, the corridor passes through the heart of Kenya’s livestock economy. In counties such as Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, and Turkana, livestock contributes more than ninety percent of household income. Better roads, improved veterinary services, and modern livestock markets could help reduce losses, stabilize prices, and expand access to processing and export opportunities through Lamu Port.
The government’s plan also includes a fifty kilometer wide economic zone on either side of the transport spine, designated for agro-processing, logistics, and industrial development. Within this zone, counties can attract private investment in food processing, cold storage, and packaging facilities that anchor agricultural and livestock value chains.
Balancing Opportunity with Sustainability
The promise of LAPSSET comes with clear risks. Roughly eighty percent of land along the corridor lies in ecologically fragile areas that receive less than six hundred millimeters of rain per year. Expanding irrigation or converting large tracts of land for agriculture without careful planning could accelerate land degradation, intensify competition over water, and disrupt traditional grazing systems.
Land tenure remains another sensitive issue. Much of the corridor passes through community-owned land, and without transparent land use policies, the benefits of investment could bypass local residents or lead to new conflicts. Managing this transition will require county governments to strengthen spatial planning, enforce environmental safeguards, and ensure meaningful community participation in decision making.
Coordination among agencies is also critical. Infrastructure investment has moved faster than agricultural planning, leaving gaps in water management, extension services, and value chain integration. Without aligning these systems, the corridor risks becoming a transport route rather than a true driver of inclusive development.
Building an Inclusive Agricultural Corridor
To Realize LAPSSET’s Full Potential, Kenya Needs a Coordinated Strategy That Links Infrastructure, Production, And People. Three Priorities Stand Out
- Integrated land and water planning – Counties should establish spatial development frameworks that balance agricultural expansion with ecosystem protection and sustainable water use.
- Inclusive investment models – Out grower schemes, cooperatives, and blended finance mechanisms can help ensure that smallholders and pastoralists benefit alongside commercial investors.
- Climate smart agriculture – Given the corridor’s dryland conditions, investments in drip irrigation, soil conservation, and drought-tolerant crops will be essential for long-term productivity.
There is also a need for evidence-based programming. Localized assessments of soil potential, hydrology, and climate variability can inform smarter decisions about where to site irrigation, processing facilities, or feed production systems. These investments can be designed to complement, not displace, pastoral and mixed farming systems that already underpin local economies.
The Way Forward
The LAPSSET Corridor represents more than a physical link between Kenya’s coast and interior. It is a chance to rethink how infrastructure can drive agricultural transformation and inclusive growth. Success will depend on how well the corridor connects small producers to opportunity while preserving the ecosystems that sustain them.
With integrated planning and local leadership, LAPSSET can become a model for corridor-based agricultural growth across Africa, a living example of how infrastructure, innovation, and inclusion can come together to reshape rural economies.
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