Mombasa County seeks role in national transport agencies

MOMBASA, KENYA: Mombasa county government now wants to have a role in national transport agencies and in the management of roads so as to combat traffic jams in the region.
The county leaders want to be represented in the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) and Kenya Ferry Services boards and the functions of managing roads to be devolved.
County executive committee members for Transport and Infrastructure Tawfiq Balala noted that it has become difficult to control traffic because the county government has no say in the state institutions and in managing roads under Kenya Urban Roads Authority and Kenya Rural Roads Authority.
"It has been difficult to solve traffic jams on major roads in the county because they are managed by the national government," Balala noted.
According to Mr Balala, the county government would have a role in the flow of traffic from Likoni ferry channel and Mombasa port if it had a say in the transport institutions controlled by national government.
Balala said attempts to streamline the flow of traffic within the county have been frustrated because KPA, KMA and KFS were not working with the county government.
"We tried to ban the use of tractors to transport empty containers but KMA overruled us and these tractors are still on the roads," he noted.