2012 Lamu Cultural Festival slated for November 15th

The 12^th edition of the annual Lamu Cultural Festival will take place from November 15^th -18^th.

The festival, which takes place off the shores of Northern Kenya, the island of Lamu (a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site), celebrates the unique Swahili heritage of the Lamu Archipelago.

The three-day event will showcase traditional dances, displays of handicraft and competitions on water and land (Swahili poetry, donkey races, dhow races, henna painting), Swahili bridal ceremony and musical performances.

Source: Magicalkenya.com

For more details on the event, contact the Lamu Cultural Promotion Group (Organizers of the event) on Cell. 0722 476219 / 0733 660216 or Email: lamuculturalfestival@gmail.com   

To make reservations go to http://www.lamu.org  

Total Awarded Offshore L22 License in Lamu Basin

On Wednesday, Leading oil marketer Total announced that it had signed a production-sharing contract with the Kenyan government for Block L22 in the Lamu Basin to explore oil in depth of 2,000-3,500 meters.

Total’s Vice President for Exploration & Production in Africa, Jacques Marraud des Grottes said that the award was in line with the group’s strategy of building a strong presence in the new basins of East Africa offering high potential plays for exploration by leveraging their internationally reputed offshore expertise.

The deal is being received in the country with a lot of optimism after Tullow Oil discovered oil in Turkana’s Ngamia-1.

In other oil news: Tullow Oil has stopped the drilling of its well in Turkana’s Ngamia-1 well after it struck an unexpected geological formation. The company will soon assess its commercial viability and possibly move its drilling rig to its second well.

Megaproject: Lapsset Corridor

Lapsset Corridor

The Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport Corridor (Lapsset) is a transport and economic development corridor that on completion will serve the three countries. The project will be launched tomorrow in Lamu town in a celebration marked by three heads of state; President Kibaki, President Silva Kiir and Meles Zenawi. The project will have these:

A port at Manda Bay in Lamu

A 1710km railway line from the port to Juba

An 880km highway

Oil refinery at Bargoni (Kenyan Coast)

A 2240km Oil pipeline

3 Airports (One in Isiolo)

3 resort cities  More

The infrastructural undertaking is estimated to cost 2 trillion Kenyan shillings. The Lamu port is expected to triple the operation of Mombasa on its completion.