• Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi and Mvita's Abdulswamad Nassir said they will move to court to have the directive suspended.
Two Mombasa MPs and transport stakeholders have threatened to mobilise protests against the government's directive for compulsory haulage of cargo through the standard gauge railway.
Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi and Mvita's Abdulswamad Nassir said they will move to court to have the directive suspended. They said it was hurting the transport business.
Three weeks ago, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia directed that all cargo from the port of Mombasa shall be hauled via the SGR to the Inland Container Depot in Nairobi for clearance.
But when he appeared before MPs to explain the move, the CS said the directive had been suspended.
Mwinyi and Nassir said it was unfortunate that cargo was still being forced onto the SGR to Nairobi even after the suspension of the directive.
"I do not understand why the national government thinks Mombasa people are foolish," Mwinyi said.
“We can no longer trust this government. We shall be moving to court to have the directive suspended. We also have the option of going to the streets and demonstrating against this inconsiderate directive."
Nassir said the government has already withdrawn Kenya Revenue Authority officials from the Container Freight Stations at the port of Mombasa.
“This means that these CFSs will soon not have any business as no cargo will be cleared from them. Thousands of those employed at the CFSs will be rendered jobless,” the MP said.
He called on the Auditor General to carry out a socio-economic impact audit of the SGR on local communities. “I urge those affected by the SGR to petition the government to carry out an independent audit of this project because thousands are suffering.”
The spoke at Tudor Sports Centre during a press conference on Monday. He was with Abdulswamad and Kenya Transporters Association CEO Dennis Ombok.
Ombok said they have prepared a memorandum, signed by different stakeholders to be taken to the President.
The five-page memorandum has been signed by Kenya Transporters Association, Kenya Association of Manufacturers, Container Freight Stations, Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Long Distance Drivers Union, Senators and MPs from Coast, Council of Imams, Transport Workers Union and Kenya Association of Tour Operators.
Edited by Peter Obuya