Joho leads Coast leaders in opposing takeover of Sh27b port terminal

Governor Hassan Joho (pictured) yesterday joined other Coast leaders in rejecting the planned take-over of the second container terminal by Kenya National Shipping Line (KNSL) and its partner, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

Joho said the Blue Economy Implementation Committee has failed to convince the Coast leadership on why Section 4 of the Merchant Shipping Act has to be changed to allow KNSL run the Sh27 billion port terminal.

Addressing seafarers at Tononoka Social Hall yesterday, Joho and nine other elected leaders claimed there were hidden cards under the table forcing some Government officials to lobby for the amendment of Bill to go through Parliament and the takeover of the terminal to be sealed.

Joho demanded that the amendment Bill be subjected to public participation to be conducted in Mombasa, Shimoni and Lamu which have ports instead of being rushed in Parliament.

He claimed Kenyans would get a raw deal if a Sh27 billion terminal was handed over to KNSL and MSC for free, saying a private operator at the port of Tema in Ghana had to build a terminal from scratch to operate and later transfer to Government.

Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, Ms Mishi Mboko (Likoni), Omar Mwinyi (Changamwe), Ali Mbogo (Kisauni), William Kamoti (Rabai), Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki, his Kwale counterpart Issa Juma Boy, Mombasa County MP Asha Mohamed and her Lamu counterpart Ruweida Obo supported Joho's reservations.

Joho and the leaders said it was not clear how the new KNSL-MSC plan would create 10,000 jobs for seafarers, saying it could be a rip-off where huge proceeds would be taken away by the firm.

The governor who received a petition from the seafarers’ group leader Mr Hassan ‘Boflo” Kombo, pledged to reach out to President Uhuru Kenyatta to scrutinise the terminal takeover deal.

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) owns 53 per cent shares in KNSL while MSC has 33 per cent.

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