Kenya's main Mombasa port records 10.9-pct rise in cargo volumes in 2025

Kenya's Port of Mombasa said it handled 45.45 million metric tonnes of cargo volumes in 2025, up 10.9 percent from 2024.

MOMBASA, Kenya, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Port of Mombasa said it handled 45.45 million metric tonnes of cargo volumes in 2025, up 10.9 percent from 2024.

"This marks a significant growth in regional trade which calls for capacity expansion to the trade demands," Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director William Ruto said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Ruto said that total container traffic rose by 5.5 percent to 2.11 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2025, up from two million TEUs in 2024.

According to the KPA, transit cargo recorded 15.88 million metric tonnes from 13.29 million metric tonnes in 2024, translating to 19.5 percent increase.

All major transit markets recorded growth, with Uganda posting a 25.2 percent increase, the Democratic Republic of the Congo 16.5 percent, Rwanda 22.8 percent, and Tanzania 11 percent.

"This reaffirms Mombasa's position as the most reliable and most preferred trade corridor," Ruto said, noting that every port facility registered growth, with the Port of Lamu posting the greatest improvement.

The Lamu facility handled 799,161 metric tonnes, compared to 74,380 metric tonnes the previous year, largely driven by containerized cargo while a total of 55,687 TEUs were processed during the period.

"With more shipping lines introducing regular services at Lamu, this is a promise for more cargo volumes through the port in the subsequent years," Ruto said.

"The authority is heavily investing in sustainable infrastructural development to expand its capacity, with various port initiatives currently being implemented," he added.  ■