Businessman seeks Parliament’s help over fertiliser terminal

By PATRICK BEJA

After years of frustration in attempts to build a fertiliser handling terminal, an investor has sought help in Parliament.

Last Monday, Mr Mohamed Jaffer reported the dispute to the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and asked for its intervention to save the project.

Jaffer has been disappointed in efforts to get clearance from the Government to build the terminal at the Mbaraki wharf within Mombasa Port.

The initial location of the multi-million shilling project was berths three and four of the port. Jaffer claimed high-level politics played a role in blocking his project, although the committee asked him to put politics aside, if he expected the intervention of Parliament for the benefit of farmers.

"I suspect my long association and support to Prime Minister Mr Raila Odinga has something to do with the delay in getting approval to build the fertiliser handling project," Jaffer told the committee chaired by Naivasha MP John Mututho.

"We are here to serve Kenyans, especially the interests of farmers. We are discharging oversight role as Parliament and we are impartial," said Mr Mututho.

Lower costs

Jaffer said the modern fertiliser-handling terminal would save farmers between 20 and 30 per cent of costs arising from transport as it would ensure faster discharge of the commodity from ships. "Fertiliser handling from the vessels will take less days using the modern facility just like grain," said Jaffer.

He was accompanied by GBHL Managing Director Mujtaba Jaffer, Operations Manager Mike Mwakamba and Terminal Manager Aziz Ramzan.

Jaffer had explained to the Parliamentary team, which also comprised MPs Kambi Kazungu of Kaloleni, Dr Victor Munyaka (Machokas Town), Mr Benson Mbai (Masinga) and John Pesa of Migori, that the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) board of directors had approved the fertiliser project as provided for in the KPA masterplan.

He gave the committee a letter from the KPA board endorsing the project, but claimed some officials in Government had blocked the project.