This archive report was first published on 6 August 2019.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has been summoned to appear before the National Assembly to explain a new government directive requiring all cargo to be ferried from Mombasa to Nairobi via the Standard Gauge Railway.
According to the directive issued on Friday, August 2, 2019, all imported cargo for delivery to Nairobi and the hinterland shall be conveyed by Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and cleared at the Inland Container Depot – Nairobi.
The directive aims to boost SGR revenues and enhance efficiency at the port of Mombasa and the Inland Container Depot in Nairobi, but it has been strongly opposed by leaders from the Coastal region and civil society groups.
Stakeholders in the transport sector have also protested the directive, citing massive job losses and a blow to hundreds of employees working in different Container Freight Stations (CFS) and clearing and forwarding agents in Mombasa.
“My members will lose big in the SGR project. Drivers, loaders and turn boys have lost jobs as most containers are collected in Embakasi, Nairobi. Majority of transporters will now be forced to move out of Mombasa as business here is no longer viable,” said Kenya Transport Association chief operations officer Mercy Ireri.
