Lobbying intensifies as KPA chairman's term ends

Correspondent

Boardroom meetings and lobbying have intensified as the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) board chairperson Benjamin Tayari’s first term ends this week.

Mr Tayari, who was appointed for a three-year term beginning January 13, 2023, is scheduled to end his tenure on Tuesday this week, but says he hopes for an extension.

As the term ends with an option for renewal for another three years, port stakeholders and politicians remain divided on whether to support his reappointment. His first term expires barely two months before the KPA Managing Director, Captain William Ruto’s three-year term ends on March 15.

Read: Uganda internet shutdown ahead of election disrupts cargo movement at Mombasa port

According to the KPA Act, the board chairperson and managing director are appointed to serve for three years, with a window for extension for another three years.

Since the establishment of KPA in 1978, the position of chairperson has been set aside for people from the Coast region. President William Ruto picked Mr Tayari, a former MP for Kinango, Kwale County, who played a key role in campaigning for him during the 2022 General Election.

The looming appointment has ignited lobbying in regions within the Coast, with calls to make the position rotational from one county to another.

The Dock Workers Union (DWU) Secretary General Sang has since warned of an operations boycott at the port if there is political interference in the appointments.

He said that for the first time in the past 13 years, the top management completed their term without either being fired or resigning. This, according to him, is an indication that their tenure has led to improved efficiency and increased output at the port of Mombasa.

“Workers are satisfied and they should not be dragged to where they were a decade ago by politicians. Let the management complete their term and because of their merit, they deserve a second term as the KPA Act states,” said Mr Sang.

Mr Tayari said he was satisfied with his performance, which he believes has led to the port attaining the 2028 target of more than 2 million containers per year, two years early.

"We have had good support from our mother ministry and directors who were well inducted in their roles. The professionalism brought by seasoned MD Capt Ruto made us achieve a number of milestones," said Mr Tayari.

The KPA chairperson added that during his tenure, the authority has positioned the port to handle 2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), resulting in employees earning a bonus. He emphasised that the bonus is a significant achievement, especially at a time when the country is facing economic hardship.

However, as he celebrates these achievements, increased throughput at the port of Mombasa has also brought challenges in managing empty containers, causing congestion in and around port facilities.

A section of Kwale residents last year accused powerful politicians from Kilifi of plotting to remove Mr Tayari as the board chairperson and propose one of their own. Led by Patrick Mangale and Daniel Kitsao, they alleged that some Kilifi leaders have ganged up with others to ensure Mr Tayari’s contract is not renewed by the government.

"When Tayari’s predecessor, Joseph Kibwana, who is from Kilifi County, served as the authority's board chairman, we, Kwale residents, rallied our support behind him despite his tenure being extended beyond the required limit by the former regime," said Mr Mangale.

General (Rtd) Kibwana took over leadership from Major (Rtd) Marsden Madoka, who is from Taita Taveta County, in 2018.

Lobbying intensifies as KPA chairman's term ends

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