This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
On October 24, 2019, Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala claimed that private container freight stations (CFSs) at the Mombasa port were being used for illicit activities. The CS made the remarks during an international conference on countering wildlife trafficking through seaports.
According to Balala, the CFSs were abetting narcotics trade, wildlife trafficking, and tax evasion. He stated that although the facilities had boosted the coastal economy by creating jobs, they were also responsible for the chaos and hostility witnessed in Mombasa after the Government proposed that cargo be freighted to Nairobi using the railway.
"The national government will not reverse policies against illegal activities that go on inside and outside the port," Balala said.
Stepped-up surveillance at the port had not been matched by the owners of the private warehouses, the CS claimed. He also stated that despite recent reforms at the port, many illegal goods, including wildlife trophies, were still slipping through due to poor screening of exports.
CS Balala noted that 17 per cent of illegal ivory leaving Africa passed through the Mombasa port. He attributed this to the private users of the facility who hated the screening exercise, claiming it caused delays.
However, Container Freight Stations Association chief executive Daniel Nzeki refuted the allegations, stating that the minister's statement was lacking in facts. Nzeki claimed that any criminal activity in the CFSs would be detected by State agencies who would shut down the facilities and prosecute the culprits.
CS Balala also accused leaders and activists of being behind the weekly protests that have rocked the coastal city over the move to haul cargo using the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). The protests have been in response to the near-collapse of CFSs, long-distance trucking firms, and clearing and forwarding companies following the launch of rail freight services last year.
He assured that the State would not force importers to use the SGR freight service despite the need to pay the loan taken to build the railroad. CS Balala emphasized the need for CFSs to transit into the new model by accepting the need for an efficient railway system.
