The Kenya Kwanza Alliance has accused the President Uhuru Kenyatta led government of secretly selling three ports to a foreign country.
Through a statement which was read by Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi said that Kenyatta planned to illegally mortgage the Ports of Mombasa, Lamu and Kisumu.
The Alliance claims that the deal is concealed in a secret deal under the guise of an Economic Cooperation Agreement with the United Arab Emirates.
“In a secret deal under the guise of an Economic Cooperation Agreement with the United Arab Emirates, and which epitomises grand corruption; Uhuru has assented to a rip-off that will see a foreign privately registered entity – Dubai Port World FZE – take over these key national infrastructural assets,” Mudavadi stated.
Mudavadi claimed that the deal was signed in a meeting disguised as prime minister Raila Odinga’s birthday party in Mombasa.
According to Kenya Kwanza the ill-disguised Economic Cooperation Agreement supposedly signed on March 1st 2022, by the CS Treasury Ukur Yatani, Kenya will cede ownership and control of not only the three ports, but also supporting infrastructure at the ports and in the hinterland.
“It’s shocking that Dubai Port will take over the development, operations, management and expansion of transport logistics service in the Republic of Kenya. This deal was mooted in a meeting in Mombasa disguised as Raila’s birthday party attended by the President, Raila Odinga and the Governor of Mombasa Ali Hassan Joho amongst other state capture agents who are the principle beneficiaries of the deal. Kenyans will also remember that soon thereafter the trio made several trips to Dubai jointly and severally,” the Alliance said.
The Alliance claims the move epitomises grand corruption saying Kenyatta has assented to a rip-off that will see a foreign privately registered entity Dubai Port World FZE take over these key national infrastructural assets.
“An accountable government should confide in Kenyans why national strategic and security assets are being handed over to a foreign entity. The government should also tell Kenyans why it is risking national security in a clandestine deal at the behest of seemingly vested local interests in the offshore company,” The Alliance says.
Kenya Kwanza added that in the deal, the Dubai-based company will oversee the redevelopment of berths 11 to 14 and a special economic zone at the Mombasa Port, equipping and operating the container terminal at the Port of Lamu and development of a special economic zone next to the Port of Lamu.
The Alliance accuses the government of violating the Public Procurement and Asset disposal Act, failure to involve Parliament on the same and lack of public participation.
“Ports the world over form part of national strategic security assets in the security architecture of a country. It shames Kenyans that the takeover of our national strategic and security assets by a foreign entity has been done without Cabinet approval. It is our submission that national strategic assets belonging to the people of Kenyan cannot be auctioned by one person, in a manner akin to disposal of private personal property,” Kenya Kwanza said.
The Alliance is now demanding to know why there was a lack of public participation, violation of Article 227 of the Constitution and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015 and Non-involvement of Parliament.
They also want to know the details of the contract and whether it adheres to procedures for the identification, selection, feasibility study, pre-tender approval, tendering, negotiation, post-tender approval, monitoring and evaluation of the projects as provided for under the PPPA.