A row is brewing between transporters, container yards, shipping lines and the Mombasa County government, as the latter seeks to collect parking fees and waste charges through Kenya Ports Authority.
The county government has designated KPA as the principal facilitator for the collection of parking fees for heavy and commercial vehicles accessing the port and within the precincts of the county of Mombasa.
It also wants the authority to collect waste management fees from marine vessels, on its behalf, for every ship that docks at the Port of Mombasa.
The parking fees by trucks is applicable to Grain Bulk Handling Limited, African Gas and Oil Company (AGOL) Limited, empty container depots, refineries and other port users who utilise port terminals without accessing port premises.
“In light of this designation, the Kenya Ports Authority will ensure the efficient and effective collection of parking fees from heavy and commercial vehicles operated within these areas with effect from 15th May 2024,” KPA managing director William Ruto said in a notice.
Commercial vehicles accessing the port are required to pay Sh600 as parking fees, according to transporters who spoke to the Star.
Shipping lines will also be required pay $2 (Sh262) per one hundred tonnes based on a ship's gross registered tonnage, as waste management charges for marine vessels.
The minimum charge on a ship shall be $200 (Sh26,600) while the maximum charge has been set at $1,500 (Sh196,500) for every seven days.
The Mombasa County Solid Waste Management (Amendment) Act 2023 mandates the County Government of Mombasa to levy charges for solid waste management on ships that dock at the Port of Mombasa.
Speaking to the Star yesterday, Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Nassir said the move on parking fees is a measure to seal revenue leaks, where some truckers have been avoiding to pay.
“We have realised that some trucks are not paying, either fleet managers colluding with officials or truckers find other ways of avoiding paying the required parking fee,” Nassir told the Star on the telephone.
He said going forward, KPA will confirm if the truck has paid before it proceeds into the port to collect cargo.
Nassir said the county government has cut penalties and charges on unpaid parking fees by 50 per cent as it seeks a fresh start and better enforcement.
“We realised mostly it is not the mistake of the truck owner but managers and foremen who have the funds but fail to pay,” he noted.
The Governor said shipping lines must also pay the local authority for collection of waste that is discharged at the port, as it is handled by the county government. This is an international standard.
While the Shippers Council of Eastern Africa (SCEA) supports the payment of waste management fees, there is a need to have a clear implementation plan, it said.
“We appreciate Mombasa County need to be paid for the parking. However there is need for clarity on how it is to be implemented and a need for a framework on the same,” acting CEO Agayo Ogambi said, “Scea supports the need for trucks to pay for the parking.”
The Empty Container Depots Association has however opposed the move saying trucks on movement between depots and the port will be targeted, despite having already paying parking at respective operation sites.
Trucks also pay KPA an annual fee of Sh3,000 for the port access pass.
“Our position is KPA suspends the notice untill we have further clarification from county. When you park your truck, parking is applicable but from your yard to KPA without stopping anywhere, it should not be applicable unless the county is after revenue collection,” chairman Richard Okwiri told the Star.
Nassir however said trucks on movement will not be required to pay the fee.
Kenya Transporters Association chairman Newton Wang’oo said they are seeking a meeting with the governor to address outstanding issues.
“It seems a difficult thing to implement, we don’t understand the dynamics so we hope to meet the governor in two or three days’ time,” he said.
Meanwhile, ships owned or operated by the government other than those engaged in commercial transactions, those owned or operated by KPA, authorised ferries plying as exclusively within the harbor, ships of less than five hundred gross registered tonnage and ships trading between ports in Kenya, will be exempted from waste management charges.