Kenya Ports Authority scraps privatisation plans

Following a meeting with union representatives, the management announced that the privatisation plans had been cancelled and agreed to most of the workers’ demands. These included 500 senior contract personnel being employed on a permanent basis with pensions, as well as a further 247 workers, previously employed on a casual basis, being given two-year contracts from next month (August) after their current one-year contracts expire.

“We want the government to tell us whether the port is being sold or not because what we have seen does not relate with what KPA management is telling us. If the port is sold, more than 3000 workers will be retrenched,” said union general secretary Simon Sang.

The dispute comes at a time when Kenya Ports Authority has embarked on an ambitious plan to increase the container handling capacity at Mombasa, with the construction of a second container terminal including dredging the approach channels to accommodate larger ships.