Privatisation of the second container terminal took a new twist on Sunday after Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo claimed senior government officials are behind the push.
The MP said on Sunday that a prominent Kenyan family has already registered a company to run the terminal.
Mbogo, Dock Workers Union members and Muslims for Human Rights officials protested against the alleged plans.
“The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is just a front. There is a company called TIL that will be given the terminal to run,” Mbogo claimed.
He spoke at the Makuli Fagia offices of the DWU.
The MP, DWU general secretary Simon Sang and Muhuri executive director Hassan Abdille said on Sunday that the DCI and the EACC should be on high alert.
They said at least 4,000 workers risk losing their jobs should the Kenya National Shipping Line be allowed to run the CT2.
“They should investigate and reveal to Kenyans the owners of TIL. We want to know who is behind MSC and who is behind TIL,” Mbogo said.
The government has proposed amendments to the Merchant Shipping Act that would give the Transport CS powers to nominate who will run the Sh27 billion CT2, Container Terminal 2.
They want the Kenyan National Shipping Line to run it instead
The KNSL is a parastatal but the MSC, owned by an Italian family according to Coast MPs, has bought majority shares of the company.
Maritime and Shipping PS Nancy Karigithu denied the claim abut majority shares.
She said the Kenya Ports Authority is the majority shareholder in KNSL.
Abdille from Muhuri said selling the port 'through the back door' is akin to denying Kenyans their rights.
“The public should be involved in any process that touches on them or their resources,” the Muhuri executive director said.
He said Muhuri and others will sue should the CT2 be privatised.
The three leaders said it does not make economic sense to give out a facility that makes Sh19 billion profit a year to a private firm, which would pay the government only Sh2 billion a year.
“Are we stupid? Are we fools? Why don’t those people in government come out with their figures and facts? They know numbers don’t lie. That is why they will never talk about figures,” Mbogo said.
Mbogo and Sang assailed DWU chair Mohamed Sheria whom they claimed is too close to the government and supports privatisation of CT2.
Earlier on Saturday, however, DWU chairman Mohamed Sheria had accused Sang of peddling propaganda about CT2 to please his ‘sponsors’.
He said the protest led by Sang was illegal as it was not sanctioned by the union leadership.
Are we stupid? Are we fools? Why don’t those people in government come out with their figures and facts? They know numbers don’t lie. That is why they will never talk about figures.
“It was a decision of the general secretary to please his sponsors. We know he is an agent of some shipping lines,” Sheria said.
“There is no indication whatsoever that the government wants to privatise the port. The general secretary is only after his own selfish interests,” Sheria said
He said Sang’s "inexplicable worry" is that the government will create more jobs for youth and he does not want that.
“In 2015, Sang spread propaganda over issues to do with NHIF. The end result was that 28 workers at the port were sacked. We fear this is his mission once again,” the DWU chairman said.
But Sang said Sheria has ulterior motives in supporting government plans to privatise the port.
He said Sheria has forgotten his duty to the workers and is now too close to the government and management of the Kenya Ports Authority.
“We are asking him to come back to the workers' side. September is coming,” said Sang.
The giant union will hold its Annual General Meeting on September 9 when some embers plan to pass a vote of no-confidence vote against Sheria.
The Coast Parliamentary Group has opposed plans to privatise the port through the back door.
Mbogo and Sang said there are people in the government pushing for privatisation of the CT2 so they benefit from it.
