BACK LIKE WE NEVER LEFT.

Kenya Ports Authority is a governmental commission empowered to manage, maintain, operate, improve and regulate all scheduled seaports on the Indian Ocean coastline of Kenya. Unfortunately for Mombasa region, in December 2019, former President Uhuru Kenyatta flagged off a cargo train from Nairobi to Naivasha, marking the start of operations at the Inland Container Depot(ICD), in Naivasha. Earlier that year in March, the Kenya Ports Authority issued a directive that all cargo destined for Nairobi would have to be ferried on the Standard Gauge Railway, (SGR).

However, this will not be the case in President Ruto's regime. In his maiden speech, H.E Ruto said this will restore thousands of jobs in Mombasa.“I will be issuing instructions for clearing of goods and other attendant operational issues to revert to the Port of Mombasa as I made a commitment to Kenyans,” Dr Ruto said. 

In action to kick-start the President's guidelines, KPA managing director, John Mwangemi issued a statement allowing importers to choose a mode of transport of their choice. “The Kenya Ports Authority wishes to affirm its commitment to implement a directive by his excellency President William Ruto that clearing of all goods and other attendant operational issues revert to the port of Mombasa”, he said. KPA also directed shipping lines to facilitate importer’s nomination of place of clearance, including port clearance and licensed CFSs.

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The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), monopoly on cargo transportation is therefore reverted back to the thousands of truck owners and drivers, clearing and forwarding firms, local container freight stations and truck dealerships, all that had been rendered useless. Fuel service stations, mechanics, spare parts dealers, restaurants and informal sector kiosks stand to directly benefit of the move to see the port services up and running. This will truly salvage the economy in the coastal regions which was on a sloppy drop.

In recent days, organisations like Okoa Mombasa have applauded the President's decision to return full port services to Mombasa, after it's absence in the economy of the coastal community for over three devastating years. Its now up to KPA to properly implement the opportunity to benefit Mombasa region and the whole country at large.