•Chairman accused him of being as a puppet of a cartel trying to cleverly sell Mombasa port's second container terminal
•Sheria and Sang accuse each other of betraying the dock workers
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
Dock Workers Union secretary general Simon Sang has dismissed chairman Mohamed Sheria as a fraud and a traitor trying to endear himself to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Sheria on Monday said Sang has poisoned dock workers’ minds that Uhuru is behind a plot to buy the CT2. Sang yesterday disassociated himself from the allegations.
He said Sheria ceased to be the chairman after failing to attend three consecutive meetings without apology.
He accused him of being as a puppet of a cartel trying to cleverly sell Mombasa port's second container terminal (CT2).
“He spoke on his own behalf. His inciting statement is pure a lie. When President Uhuru came to power, he was already rich and does not need to do anything underhand,” Sang said, adding, “Never has the union mentioned the head of state in the CT2 issue.”
Sang and Muslims for Human Rights said they are opposed to the process used to hand over the CT2 to the Kenya National Shipping Line. The deal was sealed on Monday during the signing of the shareholding agreement between the Mediterranean Shipping Company, the KNSL and the Kenya Ports Authority.
Uhuru said the agreement is aimed at restoring the state corporation into a world class shipping company.
“The shareholding agreement we have signed today marks the beginning of our well-thought-out plan to transform the Kenya National Shipping Line into a world-class shipping line, over the next 10 years,” the President announced on Monday during the commissioning of the Bandari Maritime Academy.
Sang said the union supports the elevation of the former Bandari College into an international institution since it will start issuing internationally recognised certificates unlike presently where it only gives certificates of attendance.
Muhuri rapid response officer Francis Auma said the lobby, Katiba Institute and the DWU will on Thursday move to court to stop the KNSL from running the CT2.
“We have engaged top economists, financial analysts and top lawyers so as to stop this whole process,” Auma said.
He reiterated that Muhuri is not opposed to privatisation per se, but to a flawed process that did not include public participation.
Sang said the government’s intention may be good but the process is suspect because it is shrouded in secrecy.
Sheria and Sang have been feuding over leadership of the union. Both accuse each other of betraying the dock workers. But Sheria insists he is still the validly elected chair of the union.
“There is no meeting that I did not attend without a valid reason and an apology,” Sheria told the Star.
Sang said the union’s constitution expressly stipulates that a member of the union’s board ceases to be one if he/she fails to attend three consecutive meetings.
He said the union will in September officially kick Sheria out during the annual general meeting.
(Edited by P. Wanambisi)