Warring Dock Workers Union officials should stop dragging KPA managing director Daniel Manduku’s name into their wrangles, the Port Workers Welfare and Performance Group has said.
DWU chair Mohamed Sheria and secretary general Simon Sang are at odds over leadership style, with Sheria accusing Sang of deliberately sidelining other officials in decision-making.
Sang accuses Sheria of doing things behind his back.
On Saturday, PWWP chairman Waweru Kamau said the two leaders use Manduku’s name every time they fight.
“They should respect the boss as a civil servant and sort out their differences without dragging him into their mess,” Waweru said.
He spoke on Saturday accompanied by secretary Ali Khamis and organising secretary Peter Ouma. Sheria and several other officials of the Dock Workers Union on Thursday called for fresh elections of the union, saying the differences between Sang and other officials have become toxic to the stability of the union.
This will disrupt operations at the port, dock welfare official say.
They asked the union officials to put their house in order and look for an amicable solution.
“They should use their energies to serve union members and not engage in verbal wars, dragging in people who were not even at the port during the construction and the opening of the second container terminal,” Khamis said.
Manduku took over from Catherine Mturi-Wairi in an acting capacity at the helm of the port and has since registered several record performances . He was confirmed.
Sang maintains there are plans to privatise the second container terminal (CT2) and that Sheria and his group are part of the plans, something Sheria’s faction rejects.
The PWWP officials on Saturday said warring union factions "should instead be applauding Manduku for his efforts in streamlining the port operations, not using his name in their ping pong games,” the officials said.
They noted Manduku has since kicked cowboy contractors and unscrupulous suppliers out of the port.
Recently, the government released Sh250 million in bonuses for more than 7,000 port workers for their outstanding performance in the 2016-17 fiscal year.
The bonuses had been delayed, causing tension in the port.
Union officials were heard taking credit but Waweru said it was a collective effort.
“Let the union factions stop chest-thumping over the release of funds by the government to clear an outstanding performance bonus,” they said.
They reminded the two factions that CT2 is a government facility and asset, and urged them to "tread carefully when discussing the issue."
“In three months before he was confirmed, while in an acting capacity, Manduku was able to improve revenue turnover from Sh30 billion to Sh50 billion,” Ouma said.
The PWWP officials have applauded Manduku’s effort in reducing congestion in the port by over 90 per cent and also reducing ship turnaround from three to less than one a day. They cite the MS Ever Dynamic that carried 1,117 containers, which were discharged in less than seven hours.
