• Demonstrations by Coast transport, businesspeople entered their third week on Monday.
• They say the move to transport cargo via SGR will cost hundreds of jobs.
Image: CHARLES MGHENYI
Image: FILE
President Uhuru Kenyatta will meet Coast leaders on October 18 over their protests against orders to use only SGR freight services — not roads.
They will also discuss port privatisation, which is opposed by many leaders.
The standard gauge railway, Uhuru's cost flagship project, has been losing money, so the government decided to order most transporters to use it to haul cargo and increase income.
Last Thursday, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, who has been silent on compulsory cargo haulage via the SGR, said he will not join street demonstrations against the orders as he has direct access to the President.
“The President has promised to bring his technical team and sit down with our experts and talk in details about these issues,” Joho said.
On Monday, Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo said the meeting with the President will resolve the standoff between Mombasa traders and the national government.
He spoke during the weekly protest organised by the Fast Action Business Community Movement within the Mombasa Central Business District.
However, Mbogo was criticised for asking protesters to give President Kenyatta a chance to resolve the problem.
“Two weeks ago we had a meeting with the President. He will be coming herto try and find a solution to the issues of SGR and port privatisation,” the MP said.
The lawmaker said only two Coast MPs — Abdulswamad Nassir and he — were at the forefront in fighting against the government directive of the floor of the National Assembly.
“When we were fighting for this issue, all Coast MPs left us alone. We were the only ones who openly talked against this problem."
Mbogo’s statement offended Nyali MP Mohammed Ali.
Ali, a bitter critic of Joho’s administration, said they were never invited to the State House meeting with Uhuru.
“You and Joho went to State House and never invited us. Some people are pretending to be with us, but are just betrayers,” Ali said.
However, Nassir said division among leaders will not resolve the problem.
“We are not interested in who said what in the National Assembly. We should not be divided,” Nassir said.
The leaders spoke after the hour-long demonstrations from Elephants Tusks along Moi Avenue to the Mombasa county commissioner’s office.
Nassir said from next Monday, if their issues are not addressed, they will demonstrate to the SGR terminal in Miritini.
The demonstration entered its third week on Monday.
The Fast Action Business Community said they have given the government seven days to address their issues, failure to which they will start a daily protest.
“We are giving government seven-day notice to consider implementing our demands, failure to which shall occasion unstoppable civil unrest,” FABC chairperson Salim Karama said.
The government's move, according to the protesters, will kill thousands of jobs of long-distance truck drivers, Container Freight Stations staff and others.
Kenya Transporters Association says about 15,000 trucks will be removed from the road when the government starts transporting all Nairobi-bound cargo via the SGR.
Currently, 80 per cent of cargo destined for Nairobi and other regions is transported via the SGR.
Last week, protesters marched for two hours along the 4.4km stretch between Makupa and Changamwe.
Edited by R.Wamochie