Mombasa port has dominated debate as the campaigns in the build up this year’s General-Election heat up.

It has become the newest campaign fodder for leading presidential candidates seeking to woo  close to two million voters in coastal counties.

The issue is the subject of campaigns both the national stage as well as in the Mombasa County governor contest.

Both Azimio and Kenya Kwanza camps have promised to revert all operations to the Port of Mombasa should they form the next government.

In December last year, Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate William Ruto accused “individuals with selfish interests” of frustrating the original Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) plan.

But Azimio-One Kenya candidate Raila Odinga claims Ruto was part of the decision to establish the Naivasha dry port, which has been blamed for decline in operations at the Port of Mombasa.

Speaking at stopovers in Kengeleni, Saba Saba and a rally at Bangladesh slum in Mombasa, Raila reminded Ruto that he was one of the drivers of construction of the Naivasha port and even attended its launch.

Raila said Ruto’s allies in Parliament were behind the passing of laws that made it mandatory for cargo from Port of Mombasa destined for Nairobi and beyond be evacuated via the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).

Naivasha port

“When he returns and talks about the port, ask him who launched the Naivasha dry Port.  Records are there and you can even watch videos of how he spoke during the launch. “They built Naivasha Inland Port but they have forgotten. They are now making noise about it,” said Raila.

Ruto has been on record saying leaders guided by selfish interests and greed, transferred port operations to Naivasha and the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Nairobi against the agreement that was signed during the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway.

Ruto said the initial plan of SGR was to create more jobs and bolster the economy of the Coast region and the country through special economic zones, “but individuals hijacked the plan, leaving Mombasa almost like a ghost town.”

“I want to assure you that we will make sure the original plan of SGR, accompanied by the special economic zone plan where we have close to 3,000 acres in Dongo Kundu will be implemented to restart the economy of Mombasa and restore the port city’s glory. These are the things that we must join hands together as we move forward,” he said.

In his tours of the Coast, Ruto has pledged that his administration would revert operations to the Port of Mombasa on August 10.

“We have a date with you on August 9, by August 10 we will revert the operations to Mombasa so that 7,000 youth who lost their jobs and other investors can resume their jobs,” he said.

The port agenda is also featuring prominently in the Mombasa governor contest.

In a debate organized by Media Council of Kenya, Mombasa candidates clashed over the issue.

Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) candidate William Kingi differed with Hassan Omar of UDA on port operations.

Not easy

Omar said a Kenya Kwanza government would return all port operations to Mombasa within the first 100 days.

“We will disqualify contracts of Second Container terminals and some port berths to ensure that some berths are not allocated to private individuals at the expense of Kenyans,” said Omar.

But Kingi countered that Kenya Kwanza’s plan may be difficult to execute.

“Let us not lie to Kenyans that we can return the operations to Mombasa… the questions we need to ask ourselves is how this will be possible when we know very well that the arrangement is bound by a contract with the Chinese government,” Kingi said.

Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir, who is one of the frontrunners in the governor race but did not attend the debate, has promised to restore full operations at the port if he is elected the next governor.

His administration he says, will engage the national government and Parliament to secure a corporate stake for Mombasa in the Port of Mombasa.

”We will return the port services to Mombasa within three months after August 9. We will also ensure that Dongo Kundu special economic zone is operationalised within the first year in office,” he says.