Transport CS James Mcharia on Wednesday provoked the anger of Coast leaders after he told Senators the politicians were hiding behind a directive to transport cargo via the SGR to frustrate the government's plan to shut down Container Freight Stations.
Macharia and the leaders including MPs Mohamed Ali (Nyali) and Abdulswammad Nassir (Mvita) and Senators Mohamed Faki (Mombasa) and Steward Madzayo (Kilifi) accused the minister of giving the Senate panel "rich people's figures."
Macharia was appearing before the Roads and Transport Committee chaired by Kimani Wamatangi to explain why importers were still being forced to transport their cargo via the SGR when the directive had been rescinded.
The CS said the government had revised the directive that all hinterland bound cargo to be transported via the standard gauge railway to the Inland Container Deport in Embakasi, Nairobi.
He said the leaders and transporters have continued to hold protests and demonstrations about the order despite it having been rescinded.
"It is a public record that we issued a statement publicly within two days of the issuance of the notice. The CS issued a statement reversing that directive," Macharia told the committee.
However, the Coast leaders disagreed with the CS, saying cargo transportation via road has completely been paralysed by the directive, which they insisted was in force. They claimed the CS made a public pronouncement revoking the notice but did not issue a written order to KPA and KRA to suspend the order.
Macharia was appearing before the committee after skipping the panel's two invitations and summon. Transporters and Coast residents were in the room.
Macharia said leaders and the transporters were hiding behind the reversed directive to frustrate the government's policy to close down the CFS.
“CFSs are abused, used to smuggle goods and deny the government revenue. I want to say here we are going to close all the CFS and that is the position of the government,” Macharia said.
The Kenya Ports Authority and Kenya Revenue Authority had in October ordered that all cargo destined for hinterland be transported to Inland Container Depot in Embakasi, Nairobi via the standard gauge railway for clearance.
The order was however revoked by the CS after a consultative meeting with Coast leaders led by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.
The leaders and transporters had protested that the directive that cargo be transported exclusively via SGR would kill jobs and hurt the region's economy.
Macharia said revocation of the order stands and that no transporter or importer is being compelled to use SGR to transport their cargo.
The CS said though the directive had been rescinded and transporters given free hand in choosing the mode and means of transporting their cargo, SGR was not a threat to transporters as claimed by the leaders.
Currently, only 15 per cent of the cargo that comes into the country is transported through the railway, the CS said.
“In terms of numbers, cumulatively SGR has transported 3.3 million tonnes of cargo this year. It mean that by the end of the year, about 3.5 million tonnes shall have been transported through SGR. Compare this with 32 million tons that comes into the country," Macharia said.
“Now I want to ask, if only 15 per cent is being transported via SGR, where has the remaining 85 per cent been going to? Have they been reaching Nairobi and other hinterlands if not by road?”
Macharia's remarks irked the leaders, transporters, human rights activists and residents. They accused the CS of giving 'reach people's figures' at the expense of the ordinary transporters. The said Macharia was working with cartels to frustrate and kill the economy of the Coast.
“The reason why we are here is because the transport industry is dead. If indeed it was true that he had put it on hold, then none of us would have been here. By us being here, it means nothing is working,” Nyali MP Mohamed Ali said.
Ali added, “He talked about 3.3 million tonnes of cargo having been transported through SGR this year. That is a rich man’s facts. We want him to tell us about a poor man’s facts which is the road industry, road transport from Mombasa to Malaba. The issue of SGR is good, we but you cannot kill the small people."
Faki and Madzayo accused the CS of misleading the public with his statistics. The leaders said the statistics include oil which is transported via pipeline.
Where have you seen the port moved from its original area to the inland? What that directive has done has actually killed CFSs and chances of mushrooming elsewhere are actually 95 per cent.
Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir demanded to know why the government agencies issued the order without Parliament approving a policy to effect the same and conducting public participation as required.
“If you are shutting down CFSs, let it be done across the board. Do not specifically say that CFSs located in Mombasa are being shut down and then others are mushrooming in other parts of the country. Then that would mean that you are vehemently killing others for others to survive,” Nassir said.
edited by peter obuya
