Thousands in dilemma as movement cessation takes effect

Alvince Abuya lives in Mtwapa, Kilifi county, but works in Mombasa as businessman Suleiman Shahbal's personal assistant. 

When the cessation of movement in and out of Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi counties was announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday, he was devastated. The cessation took effect from 7pm Wednesday.

“I was confused and didn’t know what would happen. I still don’t know how I will manage,” Abuya said yesterday. 

“I will have to shop for dry cereals, flour, diapers and many other things in bulk. It seems I will be working from home,” he said. 

Abuya is not an isolated case as thousands of other people face the same predicament.

Henry Otieno, and engineer and managing director of HenPoint Kenya Limited contracted by Roofing Kenya Limited to do three plants in Mazeras, is at a crossroads.

Mazeras is in Kilifi county.

Otieno and 20 per cent of the technical staff at the site, where they are doing three plants for galvanised wire, iron sheets and steel, live in Mombasa. 

“The other 80 per cent of the workforce is local. They have no problem. But when the cessation starts it will be difficult for work to continue,” he said.

The operations manager also lives in Mombasa and no work can be done without him at the site. 

“This means we might be forced to stop operations for the 21 days (of cessation). Most of the people working there are paid on a daily basis. How will they survive for 21 days?” he asked. 

He spent the better part of Tuesday seeking the way forward. 

“There is no way we can go for 21 days without having senior people there. We have equipment worth billions of shillings there. It is too risky." 

On Tuesday, he was supposed to meet either the Kilifi Trade executive or  Governor Amason Kingi to work out the way forward. 

About 10 per cent of workers at Mombasa Port live in Kwale county. Their fate remained unknown.

Nuru Hassan said they had been informed that the KPA management was to issue an update on their situation on Tuesday or early Wednesday.  

“We are waiting for a circular that will tell us the way forward. I am on duty and will be for a long time. We don’t know how it will be,” Hassan, who lives in Kwale, told the Star. 

However, should they be allowed to move from Kwale to Mombasa county for work, another challenge will be transportation. 

No public service vehicle will be available to take them across. 

“I have no car. I don’t know how it will be,” Hassan said.

Dock Workers Union general secretary Simon Sang was on Tuesday seeking clarification from Coast regional coordinator John Elungata.

“Given that we are an essential service provider, I don’t know how this will be. We are waiting for word from the RC,” Sang said on phone.

Abuya said working from home has forced him to acquire a reliable internet connection. 

“The biggest challenge will be sending hard copies to my boss. No courier services are available. This might prove to be costly for me." 

However, his biggest worry is fresh food. Mtwapa depends on food from Kongowea market which is in Mombasa county.

The mama mbogas who sell fresh produce in Mtwapa (Kilifi county) get them from Kongowea.

“The lorries that bring food to Mombasa only reach Kongowea. The mama mbogas then go for the food in Kongowea and come to sell to us. If they will be restricted to within Kilifi county, I don’t know where we will get fresh food for the next 21 days,” Abuya said.

“The government should think about this and be flexible. With work, we can find a way around but when it comes to food, that is tricky." 

In a radio talk show on Tuesday morning, Elungata said the 36-hour window that was left before the cessation took effect at the Coast was used to seek clarification of way forward for such dilemma. 

“Once we have a clear picture, we will announce to the public,” he said. 

Otieno, Abuya and Hassan represent thousands of residents of the three counties now in a dilemma. 

Edited by R.Wamochie