Top managers sacked over corruption at KPA

The top management of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) was shown the door yesterday.

And as junior workers celebrated their managers’ departure, new police officers were last evening named to take charge of Mombasa port.

The Standard established yesterday evening that investigations may be launched against some of the managers dismissed yesterday and some of those still serving, based on a dossier compiled for the President by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and National Intelligence Services (NIS) last December.

The new Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director Catherine Mturi Wairi. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

The dossier named several managers suspected of abetting crime in procurement and manipulating systems leading to massive revenue losses.

Some of the departing managers packed their bags and cleared their offices on Monday and yesterday, without uttering a word.

The move by Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia to relieve the managers of their duties followed an investigation that unearthed malpractices, including tax evasion and entry of contraband cargo.

Managing Director Gichiri Ndua, who had six months on his contract, left alongside four general managers.

Catherine Mturi, general manager in charge of finance, survived the axe and was named the acting managing director pending recruitment of a substantive head.

While announcing the purge, Mr Macharia said: “Several serving staff at the KPA had failed to fully exercise their duties to stop or mitigate the possibility of KPA operations and delivery being compromised.”

The CS said the changes were important to ensure KPA delivers on its mandate.

Those sacked are Twalib Khamisi, Muthoni Gatere, Justis Nyarandi and Mohamed Morowa, who were the general managers in charge of operations, legal services, corporate services and security respectively.

The CS also canceled the recruitment of a concessionaire to operate the second container terminal in Mombasa, and instead directed that KPA takes over its management when it is completed in two weeks.

Nineteen companies had tendered to operate the lucrative container terminal business. The selection of an operator had been mired in controversy amid claims of corruption.

Sweeping changes

Sacking the five managers is only part of the sweeping changes at the KPA — the state agency whose mandate is to operate the country’s seaports including Mombasa, Lamu, Malindi, Kilifi, Mtwapa, Kiunga, Shimoni, Funzi and Vanga.

The CS said the officials at the port were required to determine the validity of imported commodities against the paperwork declared by importers.

Cargo destined for neighbouring countries will from today be cleared at the Port of Mombasa, where the applicable taxes will also be paid.

Sugar will also be cleared at the port in a break from the past where the commodity and transit cargo were stored in privately-owned freight stations before clearance.

The Kenya Revenue Authority has in the recent months intercepted imports worth billions of shillings that had been disguised as low-value products, and supposedly destined for neighbouring countries — only to be diverted into the country.

KPA officials would have had to be involved for such tax-dodging schemes to be successful.

Operators of the freight stations have been accused of helping such importers evade paying taxes. It is for that reason that KRA has clamped down on several freight stations, including two associated with Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho.

Dock Workers Union welcomed the changes, even as one of the dismissed managers told The Standard that they were victims of “succession politics”.

The manager accused the Press of orchestrating a propaganda campaign against long-standing managers at the port.