The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Roads and Transport, Davis Chirchir, has assured port users that the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and other government agencies are streamlining operations and enhancing interoperability to ease congestion and improve efficiency at the Port of Mombasa.
The Port of Mombasa remains the largest and busiest port in the East and Central African region, offering direct connectivity to more than 80 ports worldwide. It serves a vast hinterland that includes Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Tanzania, South Sudan, and Ethiopia, all linked through a multi-modal transport system.
The port recently experienced mounting congestion during the peak season, a situation that drove up the cost of doing business. CS Chirchir, accompanied by Principal Secretary for Transport Mohamed Daghar, convened a meeting with government agencies and port users to address the congestion challenge.
The CS revealed that at the height of the peak period, 20 vessels were waiting at the outer anchorage for berthing space, but the number has since dropped significantly to seven.
“What we need to do is ensure that in future we do not impede business because of congestion challenges at the port,” said the CS, adding that enhanced interoperability among agencies will prevent a recurrence.
The Port of Mombasa closed 2025 on a high note, posting impressive gains in cargo traffic and surpassing the previous year’s performance. It recorded a historic 45.45 million metric tonnes of cargo throughput in 2025, up from 40.99 million tonnes in 2024, underscoring steady growth and setting the stage for further expansion in 2026.
The surge signals robust regional trade growth and highlights the need for expanded capacity to meet rising import and export volumes. KPA attributed the strong performance to sustained reforms that promote trade, ongoing infrastructure upgrades, modernisation efforts, digitalisation of procedures, and continued support from the national government.
“We have discussed ways to improve the business environment for port users, enhance national revenue, and leverage opportunities to support our regional partner states, Rwanda, Uganda and DRC,” said CS Chirchir.
He noted that KPA remains one of the country’s leading revenue generators, with a revenue outlay of Sh70 billion and projections to post profits exceeding Sh35 billion in the current financial year.
“When impediments such as congestion arise, they result in revenue shortfalls and undermine our ability to meet targets and implement programmes for the people,” the CS said.
To tackle congestion, the government is fast-tracking the development of a berth at the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone, operationalising the Government Owned Enterprises (GOE) Act, 2025, and encouraging shipping lines to utilise the Port of Lamu.
Chirchir explained that the GOE Act will enhance efficiency across parastatals by allowing them to operate more like private limited companies, reducing delays associated with procurement approvals.
“With the GOE Act assented to in November last year, we expect improved performance from our government-owned enterprises, including KPA,” he affirmed.
In the short term, the CS said operations will be reorganised to boost efficiency and sustain decongestion efforts. “You will see a more organised and decongested port going forward.”
By Mohamed Hassan and Sadik Hassan
