Transporters distance themselves from anti-SGR protests

Some truck drivers and transporters on Friday distanced themselves from a series of weekly anti-Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) demonstrations, saying the protests are being fueled by “impostors from Nairobi” under the guise of genuine transporters.

The group said allegations that trucks are being denied entry into the Port of Mombasa are untrue.

Addressing the press in Mombasa,  they said contrary to the image portrayed by the weekly demos, the transport business has been running smoothly.

“… there was a little challenge in the beginning but after the statement by Transport CS James Macharia, everything is now back to normal… our trucks are busy working,” said Musa Chome, a truck owner.

For over a month now, officials of Mombasa-based lobby groups Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri), Haki Africa, and Fast Action Business Community alongside Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir have been leading protests every Monday. 

They want the SGR cargo order made optional for transporters.

Early last month, the CS announced that the government had suspended the directive requiring importers to use the railway to transport all containers from Mombasa port.

But Nassir said halting of the directive was meaningless since the order itself was “illegal”.

The group claiming to be genuine transporters is now calling for investigations into the motive of the protestors.

“We have done our own (probe) and established that these demonstrators and organisers are civil society activists from Nairobi,” said Peter Gishamba a Mombasa-based businessman. 

“We want to dissociate ourselves from these people and inform them that we shall not accept this anymore. They are tampering with our livelihoods. Their fights with the government should not affect our businesses,” said Hamisa Issah. 

However, Muhuri chair Khelef Khalifa said the protests will continue until the public cry is heard and addressed accordingly.