Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen has criticised Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina, following a video shared online by the senator about the state of Dar es Salaam Port in Tanzania.
In a video doing rounds on social media, Ole Kina claimed that Dar es Salaam Port is doing great compared to Kenya’s Mombasa Port.
What is the turnaround time for Mombasa Port?
The video posted on the X platform showed a long queue of ships docked at Dar es Salaam Port, awaiting cargo clearance.
“”Mr William Ruto have you seen the ship traffic in Dar Salaam? What is your advisor David Ndii telling you about it? This used to be Kenya when we had good leadership at the top! Remember that?” tweeted Senator Ole kina.
In response, CS Murkomen brushed off the sentiments saying that congestion at the port of Dar es Salam indicates inefficiencies.
He said Mombasa Port is one of the most efficient ports in Africa with a turnaround time of two days, which cannot be compared to Dar es Salaam’s 38-day turnaround.
“For your information congestion is a sign of inefficiency. Our container turnaround time is 2 days while our neighbors take 38 days. We are one of the most efficient Ports in the continent,” said Murkomen.
What is Mombasa and Dar es Salaam Ports’ cargo capacity?
The CS noted that between January and November 2023, the port of Mombasa handled over 32.9 million tonnes of cargo, an increase of 5.1% or 1.58 million tonnes compared to a similar period in 2022.
He said by the end of the year 2023, Mombasa Port is expected to handle 35 million tonnes of cargo.
According to the Tanzania Ports Authority, Dar es Salaam Port has a rated capacity of 14.1 million tonnes of dry cargo and 6.0 million tonnes of bulk liquid cargo. This means the port can handle up to 20 million tonnes of cargo.
This came a week after the CS applauded Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) workers for their outstanding performance, which earned them a bonus worth KSh 700 million.
Murkomen said that KPA should now compare with ports like Singapore and others, claiming they have passed local and regional benchmarks.
“Sometimes it is good to compare ourselves with our neighbours, but also it is good to compare with the best ports in the world. We are now focusing on the port of Singapore and other global ports,” he said.
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