Kenya: Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary – Davis Chirchir reaffirmed the commitment of Government to ensure that the Port of Mombasa remains efficient and competitive with the increasing cargo volumes.
They addressed a special consultative session with the Port community stakeholders at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) headquarters, the Cabinet Secretary called for collaborative efforts from partner government agencies and the port users to ensure improved system inter-operability and safeguard trade that flows through the seaport.
Chirchir noted that the coordinated operational measures by key government agencies have helped to reduce the number of vessel waiters from a high of 20, early this year to currently seven.
He announced several long-term and short-term measures that the government has put in place including additional berth development at Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone, that is full operationalisation of the Port of Lamu, equipment acquisition, and automation to ease pressure on the busy Port of Mombasa. Chirchir urged other cargo interveners to embrace the 24/7 work schedule to complement KPA’s efforts to ensure faster evacuation of cargo.
During the meeting, KPA Managing Director Capt. William Ruto announced that the Authority had awarded tenders for additional cargo handling equipment to strengthen capacity and improve vessel and yard productivity. He said that the equipment to be acquired includes; 14 Reach Stackers, 43 Terminal Tractors and 11 Fork Lifts. He further disclosed that tendering process is ongoing for the purchase of 10 Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes and two Ship-to-Shore Gantry Cranes.
MD Ruto said that equipment acquisition forms part of a structured capacity enhancement programme designed to align terminal performance with rising throughput to alleviate congestion risk during peak cycles. Transport Principal Secretary – Mohamed Daghar congratulated KPA, following the Port of Mombasa’s remarkable performance of 45.46 million tons of cargo in 2025 compared to 41 million tons recorded in 2024.
The stakeholders who spoke during the meeting commended Capt. Ruto for his hands on approach at operations and being accessible to the port users.
Meanwhile the Roads and Transport CS has announced that under the Government Owned Enterprises (GOE) Act, commercially viable organisations such as KPA will run as PLC to enhance accountability and profitability. He added that the implementation of the GOE Act, 2025 is expected to improve operational efficiency across state corporations by streamlining governance and decision-making processes. Chirchir stated that the GOE will be a big game changer to allow organisations like KPA to be run like the private sector.