MV Uhuru I and II : The Workhorses on Lake Victoria

Every week, like clockwork, two vessels leave Kisumu Port carrying crucial cargo that holds ground for the East African economy.

Petroleum fuel, cement, grain, steel, livestock.

That’s MV Uhuru I and MV Uhuru II.

Operating from Kisumu Port, the two ferries connect Kenya to ports in Uganda and Tanzania, forming a working corridor across Lake Victoria.

What makes them really stand out is scale and consistency.

Each trip carries between 1,000 to 1,800 tonnes of cargo – sometimes up to 22 railway wagons on each run.

When it comes to fuel, a single run tallies up to 2M litres of petroleum.

With multiple trips a week, the combined capacity runs into thousands of tonnes moving across the lake regularly.

It’s not just random cargo – it’s fuel that power crucial, regional industries.

There’s tons of cement and steel for construction, plus fertiliser and grain for agriculture.

MV Uhuru I has been around since the 1960s, brought back into operation in 2019 after years out of service.

Since then, she has moved millions of litres of fuel across the lake.

MV Uhuru II is the newer addition – a Ksh2.4B vessel built locally, designed to handle heavier loads and integrate directly with rail transport.

That rail link is key.

Cargo arrives through Mombasa, travels inland by train, then connects at Kisumu before crossing the lake.

It significantly cuts down the pressure on roads, reduces transport costs, and avoids the long delays that come with trucking everything across borders.

Around the lake, that efficiency shows up in different ways.

Traders and manufacturers enjoy a more predictable supply. Farmers have easier access to inputs like fertiliser and seeds.

For border towns, it strengthens trade links that depend on steady movement of goods.

At Kisumu Port itself, activity has picked up, with cargo volumes rising and more businesses plugging into the flow – from transport services to port handling and logistics support.

Across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the impact is visible with increased trade and currency flow amongst the countries.

They do not get much media attention, but the ferries at Kisumu Port are a vital point in the Four Point agenda.