• Mombasa is slowly becoming a ghost town
• Transport and clearing and forwarding companies have closed shop in Mombasa.
Image: /FILE
Former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar is rallying coastal residents to sue the government for the economic loss brought about by the SGR.
He wants the government compelled to compensate those affected by the project.
On Sunday, he said experts are compiling evidence to sue the national government, private companies and individuals who benefitted from the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway project at the expense of residents.
The Sh370 billion project, which was marred with cases of graft, has hurt the economy of the coastal region, especially Mombasa, rather than uplifting it.
A bigger percentage of cargo from the Port of Mombasa is transported to Nairobi via the SGR. Cargo clearance is also done at the capital city.
This has, therefore, affected the transport and the clearing and forwarding companies that were initially stationed in the region.
Omar said they do not intend to kick Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia out of the office nor change the SGR policies that are in place, but all they want is to compel the government to pay for the huge economic losses.
“We are moving to court, not to force anyone out of office, but rather compel the government to compensate the people of the Coast for the economic loss due to this project,” said Omar.
Speaking during a consultative forum on SGR issues, the revenue sharing formula, the BBI and the state of Mombasa county at the Renaissance Centre, Omar said only a few individuals benefitted from the SGR project.
“We are looking for economic restitution of this region,” he said.
Omar questioned if the government conducted any assessment on the social economic impact before the SGR project was done.
“You must tell us why the social economic impact assessment was never done, and if it was done, why was it not implemented," he said.
The outspoken politician, who vied for Mombasa governor seat but came third in the race after Governor Hassan Joho and businessman Suleiman Shahbal, said they will go after all those individuals who have been implicated in the SGR project.
“Any family, any individual, we will follow them one by one. We will sue you as an individual, we will sue the estate and the companies,” he said.
Nyali MP Mohammed Ali came out guns blazing accusing leaders in the region of failing to defend residents against the national government leaders.
Ali accused Joho, MPs Mishi Mboko (Likoni), Ali Mbogo (Kisauni) and Abdulswamad Nassir (Mvita) of turning a blind eye to the problems the locals are facing.
“When I want campaign to impeach the Transport CS, ODM legislators were asked not to append their signatures, even our local MPs in Mombasa failed to stand with residents,” Ali said.
Ali said 80 per cent of the employees of the Port of Mombasa should be locals.
He said the Kenya Ports Authority managing director position should be a reserve of the coastal people.
“Our youth are struggling out there. We need to fight for them,” he said.
Edited by A.N