Ruto revisits vow on port operations
Coast residents were yeaterday elated after President William Ruto yesterday reaffirmed his promise to revert port services to Mombasa.
After his swearing-in address, Ruto said he would issue a directive to revert port operations “so as to restore thousands of lost jobs to Mombasa.”
“This afternoon, I will be issuing instructions for clearing of goods and other operational issues to revert to the port of Mombasa as I made a commitment to Kenyans. These will restore thousands of jobs,” the President said at Kasarani Stadium.
The port agenda was a major topic during the campaigns in the run-up to last month’s elections, with both Azimio and Kenya Kwanza camps promising that their governments would revert port operations to Mombasa.
Revert operations
Ruto’s announcement was good music to the ears of thousands of residents, who have been anxiously waiting with bated breath for the fulfillment of campaign promises to revert port operations to Mombasa.
During his campaigns, Ruto had promised to prioritise the return of port services to Mombasa in his first 100 days in office.
Head of State has been on record saying leaders guided by selfish interests, transferred port operations to Naivasha and Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Nairobi against the agreement that was signed during construction of the Standard Gauge Railway. According to President Ruto, the initial plan of SGR was to create more jobs and bolster economy through special economic zones, but individuals hijacked the plan midway, leaving the city almost like a “ghost town.”
Mombasa’s economy has been on its knees, especially following the death of clearing and forwarding business and closure of Container Freight Stations after the introduction of new cargo clearance policy, requiring all cargo destined for Nairobi and beyond, be evacuated via SGR and cleared at the ICD depot Nairobi.
