Legislators in Mombasa now Push KPA to Reintroduce Casual Jobs

By Mwakwaya Raymond

A section of Coast legislators are agitating for the re-introduction of temporary employment opportunities at Kenya Ports Authority.

The legislators claim a large number of Coastal youths lack sound and meaningful employment hence cannot fend for their families that are languishing in abject poverty.

The legislators say for them to be economically viable and contribute maximum to the national economy they should acquire any form of employment at KPA.

Speaking at Majengo before President William Ruto when he toured the county, MPs for Mvita Mohamed Soud Machele and his Kisauni counterpart Rashid Benzimba said the government is doing so well in various projects, but it has literally forgotten the masses of youths who are unemployed.

“The government has built roads, stadia, markets and several other projects, but forgets to realise that youths cannot eat these projects” said Machelle.

On his part Kisauni lawmaker Rashid Benzimba indicated that indeed youths were impoverished due to lack of sustainable employment and that time has come for the government to reintroduce the white card jobs at KPA for local Gen Z’s to benefit.

The sentiments were echoed by Mombasa County speaker Aharub Khatr who said the suggestion was long overdue and appealed to the President to consider the request made by the legislators.

“Youths in Mombasa and across the region cannot fend for their families as they’re not employed and have no source of income,” he added.

Since the scrapping off of the white card program at KPA during the reign of former managing Director James Mulewa, Coast region has experienced the uprising of criminal gangs such as panga boys, MRC, Mulingunipa, Wakwali Kwanza, Mawoza in Malindi among others illicit groupings, according to coastal leaders who sought anonymity due to their personal security.

Youths interviewed by The COAST Media Group expressed optimism and confidence in the plan saying it will alleviate their economic status lifetime sufferings.

“This is one of the best programs the region has ever had and it used to absorb so many youths before it was scrapped off, said who identified himself as Majaliwa Mwabonje.

The white card jobs were very popular amongst youths in Mombasa and across the coastal counties before KPA management scraped off the whole program and introduced permanent and pensionable employment to its staff.

A large number of Youths were rendered jobless and they have nowhere else to seek for alternative employment. The move sparked a public outcry as many viewed it as a plan to lock out the locals from accessing and benefiting from the port’s well-paying jobs.

It’s about twenty years since the programme was scrapped off. The KPA white card Jobs could absorb more than a thousand youths and they would work on intervals.

Since it was scraped youths have been left to wander in the wilderness with the majority engaging in uncalled for activities such as drug abuse, early pregnancy alongside other untold and unworthy activities!

Though the president did not comment on the same, it was evident that he was responsive.

However professionals in port matters have downplayed the request saying it will bring human congestion at the port. Both former and current port managers say most of the port operations are now digitalized and hundreds of youths in the port will be irrelevant.

“Most of the casual work at the port operations are mechanized unlike before where clerks could physically tally containers,” said a former port manager. He added that most operations are undertaken at the container Freight Stations CFS’s where Port has no control on them.

He said more so casual employees will not pay allegiance to the port management so the chances of them being thieves is very high.

Alternatively these professionals suggested that the ports should enhance its capacity and forfeit remitting dividends to the Treasury so that such fund can be channeled to employing youths.

“Our leaders have good intentions but even if their request is granted very few of the youths around will benefit from this program”, a manager in the Port told us.