Mombasa leaders face backlash after critising KPA recruitment

A ship docking at the Mombasa port on December 26, 2025 / BRIAN OTIENO

Political and human rights activists in Mombasa have led residents in criticizing the leadership in the county for castigating the Kenya Ports Authority over job recruitment.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir and Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi on Saturday lamented the recent vacancies announced and filled saying Mombasa residents were not represented enough.

“The other day, we saw jobs being advertised. We want to know how many people from Kisauni, Changamwe, Jomvu, Nyali, Likoni and Mvita have been recruited.

“If you see leaders talk, they are talking on behalf of the people,” Nassir said in Changamwe.

MP Mwinyi echoed his sentiments, saying they will use all means possible to ensure Mombasa people get posts at KPA even if it means going to court or demonstrating in the streets.

However, in a backlash by residents, the two were faulted for raising the matters on political podia instead of channeling their alleged frustration to the right authorities.

Salim Juma, a Changamwe resident, said the leaders only talk in political rallies to please the masses, yet they are the ones who send lists of their own unqualified people for recruitment .

“We know their games. They take lists of their relatives and cronies to be recruited at the expense of genuinely qualified people. But they come in rallies to hoodwink us that they are concerned about us,” Juma said.

Political activist Millie Odinga said the county administration is full of relatives and cronies of the leaders of the administration without any regard for the face of Kenya and the two-thirds gender rule.

“They should remove the log in their eyes before they point out the speck in other people’s eyes,” Odinga said.

Muslims for Human Rights rapid response officer Francis Auma said politicians are now trying to tarnish the name of serious technocrats who are leading profit-making public institutions.

Auma said the Mombasa port is a national asset and should benefit the whole nation

“The political leaders in Mombasa should be lobbying for the retention of a significant chunk of the proceeds of KPA to remain in Mombasa and development the county further instead of trying to hoodwink the masses that there is any wrongdoing in the KPA job recruitment,” Auma said.

“The county should concentrate on their own problems. They should pay pending bills so as to avert the crisis of suicides instead of spending time talking about an institution that is professionally run and that he breaking records in terms of performance,” the human righst activist said.

The Lamu port continues to record steady growth in vessel traffic, with 43 cargo vessels docking at the facility since January.

The latest arrival is the Pure Car Carrier (PCC) MV Grande Auckland, which made its maiden call at the port last Tuesday.

The European-origin vessel, which has a capacity of 9,000 motor vehicles, arrived carrying 1,200 brand new vehicles manufactured in Europe over the last two years.

Some 469 vehicles began rolling off the vessel mid-morning Tuesday at the Lamu port facility in Kililana, Lamu West.

The vehicles were originally destined for the Middle East and had initially been scheduled for discharge at the Port of Jebel Ali, the largest and busiest port in the Arabian Gulf.

However, due to the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran, the vessel was redirected to Lamu, where part of the cargo was discharged.

The remaining vehicles will continue their journey to Mumbai, India, where the vessel is expected to proceed after departing Lamu.

It is this remarkable performance of the port that has led to the imminent extension of the term of KPA boss Captain William Ruto for another three-year term.

However, history shows that even completing one full term at the helm of the authority is a mean feat.

If confirmed through a gazette notice and appointment letter, Captain Ruto would become the first KPA managing director in nearly a decade to secure a second term.

Insiders say a gazette notice confirming the extension is expected this week.

Odinga said it is sad to see politicians politicking with the KPA, yet they are the ones who wanted to pressure the MD into recruiting their own cronies and family members.

“That authority is not a county asset or some politicians’ private property. It is a national asset that is run professionally and whose management has been trying to ensure fairness in job recruitment.

“That is why the link for the application was publicly displayed and people were told to apply. How many of the county jobs are advertised publicly for everyone to apply?” she posed.

She said once they saw that Captain Ruto would not dance to their tune as much as they wanted, they are now trying to turn against him.

“It will not work. It is under this leader, who has been at the port for more than three decades, that we are seeing record after record being broken in terms of port performance,” Odinga said.