This archive report was first published on 6 December 2019.
Published on December 6, 2019, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has maintained that the order on the closure of the Container Freight Station (CFS) still stands.
During a heated session with the Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi-led Senate Transport Committee, Macharia faced opposition from irate leaders and transporters from the coastal region over an order to have all cargo transported through the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from the port of Mombasa.
Macharia accused the transporters and leaders of hiding behind the directive to fight the Government's policy to shutdown CFSs, claiming that they are used to smuggle goods and deny the Government revenue.
He stated, 'CFSs are abused, used to smuggle goods and deny the Government revenue. I want to say here we are going to close all the CFS and that is the position of the government.'
However, the transporters and leaders claimed that Macharia made a public pronouncement revoking the notice but did not issue a written order to KPA and KRA suspending the directive.
Nyali MP Mohamed Ali demanded figures for cargo transport via road, stating, 'If indeed it was true that he had put the directive on hold, then none of us would have been here.'
Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki and his Kilifi counterpart Steward Madzayo accused the CS of misleading the public with his statistics, saying that the statistics include oil which is transported via pipeline.
