The appointment of Captain William Kipkemboi Ruto as Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director was the right move by the government.
This is according to Port Community Stakeholders.
Speaking in Mombasa after the appointment of Captain Ruto, the group said Captain Ruto who started working at KPA in 1991, was the right man for the job as he understood port operations better.
“He has been tried and tested and found to be fit. We look forward to streamlined operations at the Port of Mombasa, ICD Nairobi, and ICD Naivasha. We are also looking forward as a fraternity to working with Capt. Ruto and other stakeholders to have smooth cargo clearance services offered to Kenyans and East Africans,” said Roy Mwanthi, Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA) National Chair.
Mwanthi said the stakeholders were looking forward to increased productivity, efficiency, and growth in the port and even the re-awakening of the Lamu Port.
Also at the briefing was Salim Nasib Mbarak who commended the appointment saying it was encouraging to see an employee grow from scratch to KPA MD.
“This idea of getting personnel from outside the industry is not in the interest of stakeholders, we need people who understand port operations, people who have worked from scratch and come up to the level that he is in,” said Salim Nasib, KIFWA member and Chair of Cereal Millers Association at the Port.
On his part, KIFWA Mombasa Branch Chair Leonard Njiru urged businesspeople from the region; Rwanda, Uganda, DRC and S.Sudan, to highly consider using Mombasa Port as their points of entry and exit for their imports and exports.
“The Port of Mombasa is the gateway to the region, East and Central Africa. We would wish to support Capt. Ruto in making sure the Port of Mombasa competes with other ports within the coastline of East Africa, especially the Port of Djibouti and Dar es Salaam.
