Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has dismissed claims by Coast leaders that the building of a dry port in Naivasha would sabotage Mombasa County’s economy, terming them as false.
Last weekend, politicians claimed that the government wants to transfer port services from Mombasa to Naivasha.
Speaking during the opening of a parliamentary select committee on transport, public works, and housing, the CS insisted that the dry port would not sabotage Mombasa’s economy.
His statement comes after politicians led by Governor Hassan Joho and MPs reiterated claims that the government wanted to paralyse port operations in Mombasa and kill the economy.
[caption caption="Governor Hassan Joho"]
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“I thought that was a political debate which ended with the elections. I am surprised it is still coming up. It is a very illogical statement,” Mr Macharia stated.
“Would we have constructed the Standard Gauge Railway going into the port of Mombasa if we intended to move the port to Naivasha?’’ he added.
He maintained the government was investing more in Mombasa, citing the construction of phase II of terminal II at the Port of Mombasa.
“We are putting more investments, not withdrawing. In fact, we are creating more jobs. We are even building more terminals,” Mr Macharia said.
“We completed and launched terminal II phase I last year. We are actually doing phase II with the support of Japanese government in the next one year,’’ the CS noted.
[caption caption="Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia"]
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The CS further maintained that it was not practically possible to move the Mombasa port because Naivasha does not have access to the sea.
