2016-01-29

Raila Odinga has lashed out at the government for closing ports associated with the Mombasa Governor saying “it is a return of the old order of starving individuals”.

Portside and Autoport Container Freight stations linked to Governor Hassan Joho’s family were closed amid reports tying them to the smuggling of multimillion-shilling goods.

“It is a return to starving communities into submission and surrender. I heard sad echoes of the 1970s and 1980s when businesses were de-registered, slapped with hefty taxes and shut down,” Raila said.

“This is not about the Governor and his businesses. It is about the return of strong-arm politics, intimidation and blackmail to fight the Opposition.”

He added in a statement on Friday that it is the economy that will end up crippled and youths who will suffer joblessness.

Raila said the emerging pattern must be “nipped in the bud” and that Kenyans must stand firm and refuse to be blackmailed and intimidated.

The Opposition chief said leaders are “plotting and scheming how to subdue real or imaginary opponents” while the nation is in peril.

He asked the government to accept that Kenya is a multi-party state by law, and that this is not negotatiable.

“Let Jubilee accept that in a multi-party environment, we can disagree without being disagreeable. Jubilee must put the interests of Kenya above self-preservation,” he said.

“Kenyans deserve an explanation on the closure of the two businesses associated with Joho. It is our understanding that the government should create jobs, not kill them.”

The CFSs were shut down following an executive directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta who oversaw the destruction of contraband rice, ethanol and sugar last week.

The Joho family is on record saying containers at the stations do not belong to them but an importer, who was a client.

A section of Mombasa MPs and workers protested over the closure of the stations. Some claimed the state is using its machinery to silence Joho and allied leaders to minimise the threat in the 2017 general election.

They said illegal goods have been seized at different yards yet none has been shut down.

“What is the difference with these two depots? We have more than 300,000 yards from different parts of the country. This is political… our work in the Oposition is to correct the government,” said Jomvu MP Badi Twalib.

Among the MPs who addressed the media at Autoport CFS on Friday were Abdulswamad Nassir (Mvita), Omar Mwinyi (Changamwe), Rashid Bedzimba (Kisauni) and woman representative Mishi Mboko.

Hundreds of trucks at the two CFSs and at the Kenya Ports Authority yard were held up after the Kenya Revenue Authority locked the gates.

Msambweni MP Suleiman Dori was among clients and importers caught in the drama – his Mitsubishi Pajero vehicle was at one of the CFSs.

Two letters dated January 21, from KPA to Portside director Hamid Sadru and Autoport’s Khamis Hamid indicated that the nomination of containers in the CFSs has been suspended.

-the-star.co.ke

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